


Genesis:In the Beginning

by GlassGazer



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-24 23:05:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 87,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2599811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassGazer/pseuds/GlassGazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This work is unfinished but remains here for those who enjoyed it. For the newest version, please read "Genesis."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is the old (and poor) version of Genesis, an SSBB fic I began working on in 2014. Please note that this version is unfinished, despite the 'complete' label. The new one is on my account here and on fanfiction . net.

_"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep…" Genesis 1:1-2_

_Genesis, n: The coming into being of something; the origin._

_See also- beginning: the event consisting of the start of something._

_Ex: "The beginning of war."_

* * *

There were only two moments in her life that Zelda could honestly say there wasn't a breeze.

It may seem peculiar to keep track of the wind; for any other it would be. If it weren't for the sole responsibility of a country Zelda wouldn't have picked up on it.

The first time the wind died, it was with her father.

On the day of his funeral, the lanterns had nothing to propel them over Lake Hylia, creating quite the controversy. The people whispered that the king's soul was condemned, that the Goddesses had cursed the Harkinian line. It wouldn't be a stretch considering the history of her family. Conspiracies and poorly covered assassination attempts were common for the Royal Family. However, the notion of any curse was terrifying as it would be to any ten year old.

The whispers and gossip only spread when Impa, Zelda's personal guard and last member of the lost Sheikah tribe, disappeared from public eye. Many believed it to be sabotage to the throne. Others gossiped that a scandal between the Sheikah and the late King resulted in the late Queen's mysterious death.

_Ludicrous,_ Zelda would say. It was common knowledge that her mother died in childbirth, and Impa couldn't be more loyal to the throne. There was no possibility that Impa would partake in such a betrayal, to her or her mother. Nevertheless, the nobles couldn't be bothered by a young girl's qualms.

Doubt in the Harkinian rule only grew as the princess did. At the age of fourteen, Zelda was far too serious and outspoken as a lady. Her eyes seemed too cold to hold passion for her people and her hands were too delicate for rule. _Nonsense_ , Zelda would say. She had been trained in the art of the Sheikah, her _body_ was a weapon.

But the people wouldn't listen.

She took up fencing, archery, anything that was appropriate for a lady. In secret she continued her Sheikah training, practicing the motions and warm-ups that Impa had taught her long ago. As she grew stronger by night, her magic prowess was honed by day. Yet despite her efforts, the advisors scolded her for picking up a sword and her maids mocked her behind walls. It seemed as though there was nothing that could please the people of Hyrule.

One afternoon during practice, Zelda succumbed to a vision. She saw the darkness forthcoming, and despite her attempts at alerting her people she was ignored. She worked behind the scenes to manipulate soldier lines and issued a province-wide house arrest. No citizen was to be outside lest they pay the Throne double the amount of taxes. And then the army came.

On that fateful day of Twilight, the wind stilled and Zelda felt her father die all over again.

It was chaos. Despite Zelda's best attempts at preparing for an army, there was only so much an eighteen year old girl could do by herself. Her soldiers fell like paper dolls, the traps curled up around air. She was truly alone this time, for Impa was long ago sent away for her own mission.

When her guard had all but vanished to the country, Zelda had sent Impa away to restore the Sheikah tribe. There were rumors that the surviving Sheikah had fled to the East and it had fallen to the last member to restore her people. Although her guard had refused to leave her side, Impa finally conceded to Her Majesty's wishes. But when Hyrule's final hour had come, Zelda wished Impa had given more of a fight.

Darkness crawled into her throne room and she was given a choice. As she clutched her rapier in one hand, her courage in the other, she decided she would die for her people. She died to self. Harkinians were taught to laugh in the face of death, but as the bearer of wisdom Zelda couldn't afford to be a Harkinian.

Later, Zelda would come to realize this was her defining moment, a ruler's right of passage. But at the time it was all she could do to hold onto her sanity in the perpetual twilight.

It wasn't until she met the Hero and the Princess of Twilight that she understood the humor of the Heavens. The trio of outcasts and peculiars chosen by the Goddesses were all that stood between the darkness and the world.

The final moments of the war all seemed to blur together: Sacrificing herself for Midna, then awakening in the broken throne room. Firing arrow after arrow while balancing precariously on the Hero's horse. Waiting on the sidelines, hoping against all hope Ganondorf would fall, breathing for the first time in what felt like months when he did. Finally, watching the Mirror shatter and with it the light behind the Hero's eyes.

The return to Hyrule castle had been quiet and forlorn. Zelda recalled the stories her father used to tell her at night about the heroes of old and the celebrations after vanquishing the foe. The feasts and songs, and of course, the kiss. Zelda didn't expect a kiss from the Hero, she certainly didn't _ask_ for one either. But when she invited the Hero to stay at the castle, if only to rest up before returning home, he declined.

And so the princess began the arduous task of rebuilding her kingdom. With the help of the Resistance and the able citizens of Hyrule, bridges were rebuilt and pathways were cleared, trade began anew. Even Impa's quest ended in success. The Sheikah people were thriving once again in the Hidden Village, the town no longer silent but lively with children. Impa was thrilled to see Zelda's progress in the Sheikah art.

_'Almost as if I've been training you all these years.'_ _Impa grabbed her hand, red eyes crinkling at corners from her smile._

_Zelda squeezed the older woman's hand, 'You have been.'_

Although she was originally furious at Zelda for not sending for her when the army came, Impa eventually relented but refused to leave her side. With Hyrule Castle almost in running order and Impa as her right hand, Zelda felt a semblance of normality returning.

But this brought her back from her ponderings and to the present.

She sat curled on her windowsill, feet bare and resting against the cool stones chilled by morning. Knees tucked in, arms crossed, and there wasn't a breeze.

And as Zelda had always been told by her father, ' _Never ignore the omen that strikes twice, for the third may be your last.'_


	2. Of Memories and Mist

 

"Your Highness?"

Zelda turned from her window to Impa standing in the doorway. She was alone, clad in her usual blue and silver armor and carried a platter of tea. The sun had risen to the point where it shone though the window and its glint off of her silver hair left droplets of light to pool onto the walls.

"Impa, it is only us. You needn't use formalities."

Her guard smiled, setting the platter on her vanity. "Ah, but I think the princess should only be as honored on her crowning day."

It had been over half a year since the Twilight war, and many thought it time for their princess to be crowned despite it being well into autumn. It was well known that Zelda aided the Hero in ridding the land of Twilight, thus ensuring her place of popularity.

But despite it being her day, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.

Her uneasiness must have shown on her face for Impa brought over her father's mug. She lost the tea cups that went with the set long ago, but she preferred the king's chipped white mug any day. It was a wedding gift to him from her mother.

Impa took one of Zelda's hands into her own calloused ones.

"My sweet?"

Impa was the only family Zelda had left. She didn't look a day older than thirty but she was far older, having trained the late Queen.

Zelda frowned and took a drink. It was spiced with Gerudo flower and the taste burned down her throat. "Impa, do you feel a stillness in the Heavens? As if the world were holding its breath and waiting for the worst to come?"

Impa looked back at her, brow furrowed in concern. "Have you had another dream?"

Dreams of Hyrule folding in upon itself, of a glowing winged creature in the sky. They seemed the product of a child's imagination but both women knew better.

Zelda stayed quiet, worrying her lip. "If the darkness isn't over, and Ganondorf-"

She cut herself off. The Twilight War and the months that had followed it weren't something she liked to dwell on. With the Goddesses' blessing, she wouldn't have to deal with another reincarnation in her lifetime.

_(With the Goddesses' blessing, her journey as the Bearer of Wisdom was finished)._

Impa squeezed her hand and pulled her from her place by the window. "Come and let us walk, child."

They entered the hall where castle servants darted about carrying food stuffs and barrels of wine. Those who saw the princess and her escort dropped in hasty curtsies and bows. Some offered them goat milk and cheese while a particularly exuberant man tried to hand off a whole roasted cucco. Zelda grimaced and waved him away, Impa chuckling beside her.

"They adore you," her guard smiled and Zelda only nodded back. Some of their adoration wasn't necessarily wanted.

Hyrule Castle was a place of grandeur. Old paintings varying from fruit bowls to family portraits hung on every wall, golden chandeliers lighting the velvet carpet. Elegant curves swirled on the legs of end tables while tasseled pillows warmed cold alcoves and sitting crevices. Every pocket in the Castle was meant to impress.

Except the East Corridor.

The section was closed off to all persons other than the Royal Family, which only contained Zelda at the moment. It was here that Zelda and Impa walked to. Scorch marks and holes puckered the walls and the hallway was bare of tapestries and furniture.

The Eastern corridor hadn't been restored yet, so every furnishing and trinket had been moved to storage. The only distinguishable feature of the wing had been the hidden balcony placed in an alcove that overlooked Castle Town. Now, part of the banister had been broken off and the carvings were rubbed away with grit and ash.

Zelda stepped through the leftover rubble and drifted her hand across the walls. ' _What had the Hero fought in here?'_ It was beginning to be a sort of game between her and Impa. Her guard always liked to take it a step further. ' _What sort of monster would leave such a stain? You would think the Hero dipped a paintbrush and decided to redecorate...'_

"...coming?"

"Hmm?" She couldn't remember the last time she had been caught not listening. The tips of her ears burned and Impa smirked.

"Is the Hero coming?"

Zelda's mood soured. She had invited him for several occasions at the Castle to try to read his character, but he always declined. This time he hadn't bothered to reply to her letter. She had never been gifted at speaking with her subjects. Ironic, since she handled nobles in court and muddled her advisors with retorts off the cuff. She had a sharp tongue and a wit of steel, but informal conversations left her looking like a goose. Part of her wondered if that was why he didn't try to contact her.

"The Hero has his own business to pertain to," she sniffed and walked to the balcony.

Impa gave a chuckle behind her, "So he declined your invitation?" Confound that insight of hers!

"No." She was tired of being teased. "I thought the princess was to receive honor on her crowning day?"

Impa appeared beside her and gripped the chipped banister. "Ah, but I mustn't be formal when it is only us two," she winked and her gaze softened. "My sweet, I only want you to be happy. Won't you grant this old woman her wish?" Zelda smiled at this, both women knew they could look close to sisters if their separate heritages weren't so obvious. "This day is for you to enjoy, rejoice in it!"

She gazed down at the cobblestone road below. "Impa, I would be in a far more celebratory mood-"

"Let me worry about your dreams. Melo!" A man stepped out from the shadows dressed in full Sheikah garb. Zelda recognized him as part of the Hidden Guard, a brigade fashioned strictly of Sheikah who patrolled the Castle halls. They were the eyes and ears of Impa.

"Chief," he bowed low, fist clenched over his heart. "How may I serve the throne?" Melo looked about her age, if not older. However if Impa were any example of the Sheikah longevity, she could be mistaken.

"I trust you have heard the worries of our Highness?" He nodded. "Search far and wide for anything that seems peculiar and report back to me." Melo rose from his bow and retreated to the shadows.

Zelda tilted her gaze to Impa. "Strange, I did not sense that particular Sheikah until he revealed himself."

Impa smiled at her, red eyes glowing with pride. "Melo is one of our best at stealth, almost superior to me."

"You trained him?" It was more of a statement than a question and Impa chuckled, leaning over the banister.

"I helped him hone his skill," she replied.

The people of Castle Town were awake and moved with purpose. Peddlers pitched their wares and the smell of spices and sweet cakes filled the air. The Square was already decorated for the crowning with colorful streamers tied between buildings. Lanterns and fairy bottles hung suspended with wire and at the center of the decorations was the stage. Garnished with silks and flowing tapestries, this was where she would be crowned Queen.

"All of this is for you," Impa placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder, "their Queen."

Zelda kept her gaze on the people and steadily replied, "I'm not their Queen yet." One of the mutts below had grabbed a roasted cucco leg from a stall, no one had noticed it.

"You should be. You deserve the title, fighting the Evil One alone..."

"I was _hardly_ alone," she drawled.

Impa smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "I should have been there. You've grown so much, and I've missed it."

Zelda looked towards her guard then and her heart gave a lurch; Impa hardly ever looked this downtrodden. "You had an important task for your people. You're chieftain now, they look to you for guidance."

Impa gave a light laugh and looked at the princess, smiling fully now. "No, my sweet. We look to you."

* * *

"...and by the Goddesses' blessing, may Her Majesty prosper this nation and its people! All hail the Queen!"

With the priest's final blessing finished, the people repeated after him. "All hail the Queen!" The crowd erupted in applause and the musicians began to play the Royal Family ode.

The cold autumn air did nothing to dissuade the people. All across the square were Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons; anyone and everyone was allowed to participate in the festivities. Ambassadors and nobles sat in a place of honor to the side of the stage and Impa stood at her right hand, straight and proud. At the priest's cue Zelda was permitted to stand from her place and the dances began.

She was required by social etiquette to dance with the more renowned guests, but after an hour of being hounded ruthlessly by bachelors Impa dragged her back to the throne. Zelda was grateful for this, her ceremonial robe and crown were far heavier than her usual attire. The robe was usually worn by men in their prime, the crown fashioned for even the largest head. Zelda reckoned her forefathers had looked mighty indeed. On her, the robes looked rather silly.

Once comfortably seated Zelda searched the crowd, looking for anyone she would recognize. Sheikah were laced throughout the bustle of people and had managed to conceal their features. She spotted Melo and another Sheikah girl standing near a dart booth, a scraggly old man hunched behind the counter. The girl laughed and gave Melo a light shove which he took graciously and smiled back. He was holding some type of paper in his hand but before Zelda could get a closer look a familiar figure stepped in front of her.

"Queen Zelda," he purred. "May your reign be long and fruitful."

It was the Earl of Ninĕn, Hanta. He bowed before her and kissed the back of her hand. The Earl Hanta was a man in his late twenties, a charmer in his own right. His curly black hair was covered by a cowl and his green eyes glittered beneath the covering. He always wore the same white gloves whenever she saw him and his approach on etiquette made lesser women recoil in shock.

Nevertheless, she smiled back. "Thank you for you kind words, Earl Hanta."

He straightened back, keeping his eyes pinned on hers with a smirk. "Have a pleasant day." With that, he grinned his farewell and disappeared into the crowd.

Zelda turned towards Impa who in turn was whispering to a Sheikah. "Follow him and make sure he does nothing suspicious," she ordered, and the Sheikah faded from sight. Impa caught her staring and nodded at her.

"I don't like him," was all the answer she received. Zelda smiled at her bluntness and turned her gaze towards the people. She spotted the Shaman and his daughter from Kakariko along with the Goron elders dancing with what looked like a baby. But his face! ' _What a peculiar child.'_

More men with their own ambitions ambled their way to the throne and she sighed. Foolish men were all too easy to deal with, but the more ambitious had to be watched. A man with enough will and desperation was a force to be reckoned with.

She was trading niceties with a shrimp of a man when she began to feel strange. Not quite unpleasant, but not exactly comfortable either. She narrowed her eyes, sending the man scrambling away at her order. Impa stepped to her side and kneeled, "Zelda?"

Her head began to feel heavy as if it were made out of solid rock.

"Impa..." It was a struggle to get the words out and her guard looked her over, brow furrowed with concern.

"I-I need to go inside."

Impa nodded once and helped her down the back stairway, some inebriated nobles waving and bowing her away. She stumbled several times, but the woman supported her like she weighed nothing more than a pillow.

Her guard pulled her within the castle courtyard and Zelda fumbled with the pins that held her crown in place, her fingers wouldn't work anymore. Impa roared orders to the castle guards, Sheikah appearing from the shadows to take away her ceremonial garb.

The weight gone, Zelda felt as if she could float away. Her legs apparently thought the same for they gave out and she found herself cradled in Impa's arms.

A bottle of red jelly was poured down her throat but she couched it up, staining her front with the liquid. It looked awfully close to blood and she looked away, feeling even more nauseous. Screams rained down upon her.

"What has she eaten today?!"

"Who spoke with her?!"

"What are your orders, Chief?!"

 _'There's no sense here,'_ she thought. Because although her mind was muddled to the point she couldn't think, she _knew_ that she couldn't be poisoned. Impa made it a point to have her ingest poisons regularly as a child; she was immune to almost every toxic ingredient in Hyrule. Impa knew it too for she wasn't yelling like the others were. Instead, she hugged Zelda closer as she ran into the Castle walls, each step vibrating through her bones.

The light came first, a beacon of gold from her Triforce mark shining before the entourage.

Zelda recognized the warmth next, a stream of it running up her arm and filling the rest of her body. _She was receiving a message from the Goddesses._ Impa took her to the Royal Chambers and placed her underneath the covers. Zelda closed her eyes, the light from her Triforce piece was blinding. The sound of a door being shut reached her ears and silence replaced the chaos from outside.

Steady hands placed a wet rag onto her forehead, a water drop sliding down her temple. Her hair was swept away by the same hands- _Impa's hands_ \- and a whisper touched her ears like a feather to a pond.

 _"_ Clear mind, clear vision."

Zelda remembered she hadn't seen the Hero at her crowning.

Then the light became too much and she slipped away, into the world of spirits.

* * *

_She was floating._

_There was no other way to describe it; all around her was fog, cold like morning mist. Condensation began to settle on her face and she closed her eyes to its touch. Compared to the heat in Hyrule, this was a blessing in itself._

' _Clear mind, clear vision', Impa's words from before fluttered across her mind and her eyes opened. She couldn't afford to be sidetracked. Who knew how long she had before she was taken back to reality?_

_She took a tentative step forward, hesitant of the lack of ground. She didn't fall through whatever was keeping her up though, so she took another step and began to walk._

_The fog didn't clear up despite her attempts at every direction and she began to become frantic. As the bearer of Wisdom, she was expected to discern her own way in visions. She hiked up her skirt and broke into a sprint, barreling forward until she crashed into a wall that left her tumbling to the floor._

_A splash of water rose up from where she hit the ground and she was drenched. She spouted a small stream of water that managed to land in her mouth and brushed away a few strands of hair; visions had a way of making the strange seem normal, and after a few episodes she became used to their oddities. Looking up, she realized she didn't run into a wall but a person._

_It was him._

_She couldn't fathom why the Hero's presence seemed so important to her; he was the Hero, of course his presence would be important. But for a reason she couldn't shake, this seemed personal._

_'His name is Link.' The thought was less vocal and more internal and her mind greedily drank it up._

_Link my friend is Link is called LinkLinkLink- What was happening to her? She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a closer look at his appearance. He seemed different from the last time they saw each other, more sure of himself._

_"Link?" He stared forwards, looking as if he saw something in the distance. She waved her hand in front of his face but received no response. Just as she was about to push him over-she knew she would react if someone knocked her over-another figure appeared._

_He was a few yards away, clad in red and boasted a thick mustache. He also gave no inclination towards her presence but rather stared past her. The fog slowly thinned and revealed more people, each one stranger than the last._

_A tall muscular man with a gaze that analyzed everything. A fox standing by a small yellow rat, both with an intelligence behind their eyes that the average animal didn't posses. One particular being found her taking a step back. They seemed like a monster out of legend, coated in metal with a solid green eye._

_All around her stood a variety of creatures linked shoulder to shoulder. Shoulder to knee in some cases; there seemed to be no pattern in their genetic makeup. She was trying to link them together to find some common ground when a tall figure emerged from the mist beside Link._

_It was the Dark King, Ganondorf._

_She took a step back, hand trembling over her mouth. He could not return when they were so grossly unprepared… What was she going to do? Where would her people go?_

_Before she could finish the thought a figure appeared on the other side of Link. She stepped closer to confirm what her eyes were telling her. It was Sheik, the alter-ego she created when she was beginning her Sheikah training._

_Sheik stared back at her with her own red eyes, unlike the others she acknowledged her existence._

_Sheik turned her eyes towards the other figures and she followed. They were disappearing one by one, back into the fog. Sheik pointed towards Ganondorf, and then towards the floor of water. "I don't understand," she told her. Sheik repeated the gestures, frantically now; Ganondorf was disappearing._

_After he was gone the fog began to wrap around the Sheikah's body, and a calm seemed to wash over her. Sheik brought her hand up and touched her forehead, the sign for wisdom. With that, the fog ate her up and only Link was left._

_Link focused his eyes onto her and she was taken aback at how feral they were. She half expected him to transform into the blue-eyed beast that he was when they first met._

_Something wet touched her knees and she looked down. The water was rising slowly but steadily and she looked back to Link with concern. He outstretched his hand and without hesitation she reached out to take it. But her hand fazed through and he began to fade into the fog._

_A terrible screech rang up around her; by now the water was up to her waist. She shuffled forward, frantically trying to reach Link. He opened his mouth in a scream and the terrible noise from before muted his voice._

_The water was at her shoulders, and Link was almost gone. She couldn't lose him, couldn't bear the loss nonono please no, she was bordering on hysteria and didn't know where everything went wrong._

_She tried one final lunge towards him, all of her strength put into this last desperate move. The water was well above her head and murky with fog, but she reached his body and held onto him._

_His heartbeat was so slow._

_She kicked with all of her strength, had to get to the surface hewon'tdie,shewon'tlethim. But it was no use, she was held down by his weight and tendrils of fog latched onto her ankles that pulled and bruised the skin._

_She held on as long as she could, gave her last breath to him, but the pulse stopped and her tears joined with the water._

_He was dead, and she was going to die with him._

* * *

"…?"

Everything hurt.

"…Zelda?"

There were too many noises around her. It was deafening compared to the silence from where she came from.

A screech rang up in the room and for a wild second Zelda thought she was back in the void. She thrashed and kicked, the sheets tangled themselves around her legs and she tumbled from her bed onto the floor. She hit her head on the stone and her teeth grated against the insides of her cheeks.

The taste of iron flooded her mouth and Zelda spat it out onto the floor, winded from her fall. The room was silent and she realized that she was the most probable source for the scream. Where in a regular situation she would have been embarrassed, the knowledge comforted her enough that she looked around the room.

The guard that surrounded her as she was carried down the hallway stood nearby, all directing their weapons towards any possible entryway. Impa stood over her with a wild look in her eyes.

"What did you see?" she asked.

Zelda croaked an answer and one of the Sheikah passed her a bowl of water. She forced a few mouthfuls down her throat and leaned against the bed frame, relaying her vision.

When she got to Ganondorf's appearance several of the Sheikah wore faces of shock. While they weren't present in Hyrule during the war, anyone could see the damage he left behind. Only Impa stood impassive, the pop of a vein in her neck her only reaction.

By the time Zelda was finished she held a steaming mug of tea in her hands and Impa was pacing the room. "Hyrule is in _no_ way prepared for another war, much less for the _Dark King_."

"Ganondorf? I believe it is not him whom we should fear." It was true, something was telling her that that wasn't the vision's warning. "Let us not forget the creatures I saw. I feel there is someone, perhaps something else that works in the shadows."

Impa considered her words, fingers stroking her chin. "It is true no neighboring kingdoms are inhabited by those you described… Perhaps there is a separate realm involved, similar to the Twilight?"

"Excuse me Your Majesty, but I may have something worth mentioning." It was Melo who piped up from his place by the door. He clutched the paper from the ceremony tightly in one hand, crinkling it down the middle. He walked towards her hesitantly and it was only then she realized she was still on the floor. She stood with the help of Impa and Melo placed the paper in her hands.

It was a flier that was intricately painted with swirling colors of blues and greens, outlined in a solid red that bled through the page.

_Super Smash Bros._

_Join the Brawl!_

_Sign-ups Closing Soon_

Depicted underneath the lettering was the red man she saw, posed to fight. His opponent was the small yellow rat along with a small pink orb that didn't have legs.

"They seemed to match your description," Melo explained. Her eyes widened as she took in the added details. Small pictures of random competitors were listed and every one of them she saw in her vision.

"It looks like our Hero has found a place in the tournament," Impa tapped the corner of the flier. Sure enough, Link was holding the Master Sword and stared them in the eye; the artist captured the moment perfectly.

Zelda squeezed the flier in her hands. "Why did you grab this?"

Melo blushed slightly and scratched the back of his neck, "I've always loved the tournaments. My father used to take me to them when I was little, and I was hoping to go again this year." His eyes widened. "That is, with your permission!"

Zelda walked over to her window. It was sunset now, her people outside preparing for the evening. Fireworks in her honor were set to go off at midnight and chairs were being set out in the Square. Luckily, she didn't have to be present for this and could enjoy them wherever she pleased.

That is, if she would even watch them.

"Is this tournament open to all?" she asked without turning.

Melo piped up from behind her, eager to save face. "Of course! That's why all of the competitors look so different, they're from different worlds. The tournament is what links them together."

The omens, the dreams and visions… Everything was adding up. Zelda turned to see the room looking to her for guidance. Only her guard seemed to know what her next words would be and she smiled sadly.

"Our country and its people are in great danger. If what Melo said is true, it is possible other worlds are too." She walked forwards some, preparing herself for whatever her next statement would bring.

"I need to join the tournament."

_(And it was here that her true journey began)._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are following this, I suggest visiting fanfiction dot net and searching me under GlassGazer. I update there far more often and I'm already on chapter 11. (:


	3. Chapter 3

Melo pointed towards the map of Hyrule that rested on the table. It was stained by questionable substances and almost torn in half, but the vital parts were still readable. Someone had used it quite frequently.

"We will have to time the jump perfectly."

His finger rested on the canyon near Kakariko village. Zelda had always known there were secrets in Hyrule that she had yet to uncover, but not of this magnitude. Apparently, the Hyrule Borealis (locally referred to as the Goddesses' Lights), connected to other dimensions, most notably Smash Central. It was aptly named for being the center point of all other dimensions, a result of worlds colliding to create a new realm. The idea seemed so far-fetched that Zelda believed it. After all, the Twilight Realm was real.

At the transition of night and day a small portal opened at the bottom of the canyon. However, if the jump wasn't at the correct time and place, the jumper would either hit the bottom of the canyon or land in a separate dimension.

Obviously, much was at stake.

But Zelda knew of no other way to go to the Smash Tournament, so she would have to take her chances. On the bright side, if she did "go splat" in Melo's words, no one could say she didn't try.

Speaking of Melo, Impa wasn't exactly pleased with him. To put it lightly, she was furious.

_"Why didn't you mention this before?"_

_Melo cowered before the Sheikah Chief. Her eyes were ablaze with fury and every inch of her screamed danger with the dagger she held to his neck. Melo gulped and the blade scratched the skin. "Before...? I wasn't even in the country!"_

_At her growl he added, "It honestly hadn't occurred to me before, I swear! I haven't used the portals in such a long time, and I only ever used them for entertainment. I never intended to withhold information!"_

_Impa looked to Zelda, she would have the final say. Zelda stepped forward and placed a hand on his forehead, her Triforce mark faintly glowing. Melo's head tilted back and his eyes fluttered close in response to her magic seeping into his skin._

_Her Wisdom allowed her to sense the truth. She could only use her gift when she touched the person in question so she couldn't very well go up to anyone and try it. Nevertheless, it definitely had its uses._

_She searched for any traces of fabricated half-truths or deceit, but found none. He was telling the truth._

_"Melo of the Sheikah, you may be a fool," his eyes widened in fear, "but you are an honest fool." Impa slowly pocketed her dagger and stared at Melo in poorly veiled disappointment. He dropped to his knees and lowered his head almost to the floor, beads of sweat dripping from his brow onto the cobblestone floor._

_"I promise, Your Majesty, that I will never let you down again."_

Melo was bursting with excitement now that he wasn't in interrogation. She had decided that it would be wise for him to accompany her despite his previous blunder. He had been to the tournament before and she would need any help she could get in the new world. Impa was slightly more hesitant, Zelda suspected it was her anger from earlier.

_"If you make another idiotic blunder while the Queen's life is in your hands, you better hope I never find you."_

Definitely her anger.

Melo now stood at attention, his back so straight it was a wonder it hadn't split in half yet. The plan was that he would stay at a nearby inn for a couple of nights, tailing her in the shadows during the day until he would return to Hyrule to relay any acquired information to Impa. Although he had been threatened twice in the last hour, he wore a giddy smile that was so contagious she couldn't help but smile back.

At least someone was looking forward to jumping.

Zelda turned her attention towards her small pack that lay on the foot of her bed. It was a simple gray and blue patched skin, faded and worn from years of Impa's travels. The pack would strap vertically down her back and was charmed to hold triple its size. Despite the extra room, her packing was focused on the necessities: several changes of her Sheikah attire along with extra wrappings, an assortment of knives and her mother's comb.

The last one was more on impulse than out of necessity, but Impa suggested it and she couldn't turn her down. It was ivory and inlaid with purple and silver rupees, intricately carved and without a doubt worth a fortune.

"Are you ready for the suit?" Impa asked her, holding it up. They decided that she would disguise herself as Sheik; it wouldn't do for the recently crowned Queen to leave her country. Zelda nodded and they began the arduous task of putting it on.

While Zelda could simply wave her hand and the suit would mold to her, Impa had insisted on helping. She assisted her in the wrappings and layers, placing various knives and needles in their respective pockets as they went.

' _The art of deception is a powerful thing,'_ Impa had always said. _'The more you've hidden, the longer you'll live.'_

Even when Zelda wasn't masquerading as Sheik, she kept several knives hidden on her person, needles tucked through the laces of her boots and a thin dagger through her braid. No one had any idea their Queen carried concealed weapons and she intended to keep it that way.

Now that she was in her full Sheikah attire, it was time for the final additions. Zelda placed her hand over her face and envisioned what she wanted. Dark skin, platinum hair and the crimson eyes: the Sheikah staples. A slight warmth trickled from her hand and flowed down her body.

Looking in her mirror she frowned; her hair was more of a blond than anything. Impa suppressed a laugh behind her hand and Zelda huffed, her hair would have to work. As an after-thought she added bangs with a slight flick of her wrist. This was a little more complicated as far as beauty charms went but she would do just fine. Besides, Sheik had bangs in the vision and Zelda wasn't fond of cutting her own hair. It was always easier to charm hair back than to grow it.

A small cough drew her attention towards Melo standing by the doorway. He grinned, holding their twin packs.

"It is time to embark, my Queen."

* * *

The story of the Lights dated back centuries ago.

As the legend went, the lights were made up of souls that were on their way to the Heavenly Realm. If the lights ever vanished, it would mark the last days of Hyrule.

The last time Zelda had been to the canyons, it was with her father. Her father used to bring her to the Lights every birthday, the anniversary of her mother's death. He would attempt to reach her mother from the other side, humming hymnals that had been passed down for generations in the Royal Family. Zelda always wondered if he would ever let her go.

The scene would have been disheartening if she wasn't trying to speak to her mother too.

She walked down the slope to where Melo marked as the jumping point and stared. She had forgotten how deep the canyons were and why Hylians were advised to stay a certain distance from them. Standing on the edge, she could see the reason.

Zelda couldn't see the bottom.

Not that she should have been surprised, canyons _were_ reputable to have sharp drops at impressive height. But now that she was going to jump off the side of one, she gained a new respect for it. The part of her not preoccupied with the fact that she would be cliff diving soon wondered how Link had reached the Tournament. Did he jump off much like she would?

A warm hand on her shoulder brought Zelda out of her musings and she knew without turning that it was Impa. The weight of her hand was what made everything else sink in. What if this was the last time she would see her guard or her country?

Her shoulders began to tremble, and without prompt Impa turned her around. "Your father would be so proud," she smiled, the corners of her mouth wobbling, "and so would your mother." And then she was crying, head tucked underneath Impa's chin. And though she knew better, that the Sheikah woman's iron grip on emotion would never allow her the reprieve, Zelda almost swore that Impa was crying as well.

They stayed like that for a while, huddled on the edge of the canyons in the dead of night. It was cool and silent save for the chime of the golden bugs, and Zelda was reminded of the wind chimes that decorated Lake Hylia in the summertime. A rustle of feet drew their attention. It was the Sheikah Guard, all bowed with their fists over their hearts. They stood row by row, poise perfect and commanding.

"Long live the Queen," they spoke, and their voices were as one.

Her eyes were red and her voice was choked with emotion, but Zelda lifted her head. "As darkness descends, it is thy own work to bring forth light." It was the standard verse out of the Goddess's book, but the Guard seemed encouraged by this and rose, backs straighter than before.

Impa's hand found its way into her own, though the light skin was polar opposite to what it used to be. They both agreed that she would pose as Zelda during her time away. She was the exact reflection of herself, although Impa was still in her too-large Sheikah garb that hung on Zelda's slighter frame.

"Go now, my sweet. The time has come for you to embark on your journey," Impa said.

Zelda looked to the sky and could see the beginning of light beaming over Snow Peak. She gave her one last crushing hug and pushed something heavy into Zelda's pack. She looked to her guard but Impa only smiled back and lightly pushed her to the edge, the extra weight jostling on her back.

Melo steadied her and Zelda reached towards the light. Streams of gold swam through her fingers and she closed her eyes, the warmth of magic traveling up her arm. Melo grabbed her other hand and she took one last look at her guard and the Sheikah. Past them her Castle was glowing off in the distance and she nodded to herself.

_'For the people.'_

The Queen and her Sheikah leaped from the canyon, sinking into the abyss.

* * *

Zelda had little time to adjust to the fall before she was jarred into a cacophony of pulls and pushes, a rush deafening her ears and blinding her eyes. Her body was twisted and jerked through a series of tunnels made of air, and although the sensation was too shocking to feel anything a part of her was horrified she'd be ripped apart. Then as soon as it began, it stopped.

Grass. Her nerves jumped to the familiar sensation and she sighed in relief. The sun bared down upon them; it was daylight in this realm.

A groan sounded beside her. "I doubt I will ever be used to that."

Melo stood up, his figure blocking out the sun and he held out a hand. She reached for it gratefully and choked out, "How often have you traveled here?"

He stretched his arms with a groan, "None at all since I was a child, but before then every year." He grinned back towards her, mouth lopsided. "My favorite Brawler had always been Mr. Game and Watch. He could disappear in a single turn."

Before she could ask what he meant a booming horn interrupted her. They were in a sort meadow overlooking what was the largest civilization she had ever seen. Buildings that touched the tip of the sky, horseless carriages that flew; it was, needless to say, quite a shock. Zelda went through the magical prowess one would have to have in order to make it possible, and the amount rivaled that of Ganondorf's.

"Welcome to Smash Central, both the city and the dimension." Melo noticed her gaze and smiled sympathetically, "When I first arrived, I fainted. My father had to carry me all the way to the inn before I woke up." As if sensing her question he added, "These people here don't use magic. Well, some of them do," he added after seeing her incredulous gaze. "But most of this runs on something else. The people here call it technology, but it's basically lightning."

The power to harness _lightning_? It seemed far too dangerous in the wrong hands. Zelda appraised the city: in the center of the towers was a large dome of a building. It dwarfed her castle easily, being at least four times the size. "Is that where the Tournament is held?"

Melo nodded approvingly, "That's right, Your Highness."

They hiked down towards the city and she marveled at the sounds that pervaded all around her. People and animals of all sizes walked alongside in harmony, and the horn that she heard from atop the hill rang in intermissions. Looking for its source, Zelda found the most impressive creation as of yet: a large metal box that hovered above the ground at high speeds. It rushed past them as they walked down the road and Zelda marvelled at its intricacy.

They stopped at one building that stood upon gates, people traveling in and out from underneath. They made their way inside and she analyzed the décor. Chrystal chandeliers hung from the cream ceiling and the tables set out were fashioned out of a dark wood. "This is where we'll exchange your money," Melo gestured toward the front desk to where a small mushroom man sat waiting. "Don't worry, I'm a good haggler." He grinned and walked to the front desk, displaying the money bags they brought.

The horn sounded again from outside and Zelda turned towards the doors. Through the glass she could see creatures walking from the box: more mushroom men, humanoids; every one of them were different. A flurry of movement drew her attention towards the alley and to her astonishment a man was mugging one of the mushrooms. No one noticed or minded and her sense of justice overcame her. She ran outside, all but forgetting Melo and rushed onto the street.

She was almost to the other side before someone grabbed the back of her suit and threw her to the ground.

A deafening wave of air rushed over her and Zelda almost thought she was in another portal until she noticed the warm arms wrapped around her sides. She struggled and kicked until the arms tightened even further, crushing her ribs in a grip that matched iron.

" _Do you have a death wish?!"_ It was a man's voice accentuated with a growl and something else she couldn't identify. "Release me!" She struggled more until his arms slackened and she kneed him in the gut. He grunted and she took her chance to run, breathing harder when she heard his footsteps pounding after her. She scanned the alley quickly but there was no sign of the man or the mushroom.

A hand clamped down on her wrist and she whipped her head around, ready to jab their eyes out before she stopped and stared. It was the vulpine from her vision. "It's okay. Look," his voice matched the man's and he pointed to a floating box a ways off. The mugger was being pushed inside by something she couldn't even _begin_ to describe.

"The R.O.B. are in charge of reprimanding local crime," he explained, now eyeing her attire. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Before she could answer Melo came racing from the transaction building, money bags in hand. "Your Majesty!"

Fox-Man, as she mentally dubbed him, rose an eyebrow to this. "Your Majesty?"

Face drained of all color, Melo sputtered before giving off a completely unconvincing laugh that bordered on hysterics. "Yes! Queen of… stupidity!" It was here that he whacked Zelda on the head and she would've laughed at his expression if she weren't so horrified herself. _Her cover was almost blown._ Fox rose both of his eyebrows at this but eventually accepted it and turned around.

"Foreigners…" she heard him mutter.

He started to walk off until Zelda called after him. "Please wait!" He turned around, annoyance tugging at his features. "You saved my life, didn't you?" She looked towards where she was tackled and saw the large metal box hovering over the exact spot. "Let me repay you." If she could get him to stay, perhaps she could make sense of his presence in her vision.

Fox grinned, rows of pointed teeth on display. "What could I do, let someone as helpless as yourself get flattened by a train? Fox McCloud, by the way." He held out his hand and Zelda took it. She smiled to herself, _'Fox the fox. How interesting.'_

"My name is Sheik. This is Melo." Both Sheikah bowed as was customary but Fox waved them off.

"You're a smasher, aren't you?" she asked.

He seemed used to hearing this and nodded.

"I'm looking to enter the tournament."

He appraised her with a critical eye and nodded, seemingly approving. "You've made it just in time, the sign-ups are closing today. You can repay me later once you've made it in." He began to walk down the road, Zelda and Melo in tow.

"Made it in?" It was Melo this time, face pinched. It seemed he was still mortified from earlier.

Fox barked a laugh from the front. "What, did you think it would be easy? The Smash Tournament is one of the most talked about competitions in all the _worlds._ It's almost impossible to get in unless you're a crowd favorite or got connections." Zelda wrinkled her nose at this, it seemed court affairs weren't just a specialty in Hyrule.

As they walked along the path people began to stare. While some seemed more in awe, others narrowed their eyes and spat curses. Fox didn't pay them any mind. They passed by several storefronts with large glass panels that reflected light into moving pictures.

"Those are called screens," Melo whispered to her, and although he had doubtlessly been there before his eyes still held a childish gleam.

They soon reached the building and Fox stopped to spread his arms out in a sweeping gesture. "Welcome to the Tournament, the Dome, the Silver Scoop... Whatever you want to call it, just keep it classy."

Up close, the Dome managed to be even more impressing. The surface of the building shined like melted silver and when the sun hit it the right angle it burned like fire. The architecture almost distracted Zelda from the decrepit buildings nearby. Trash littered the sidewalks and graffiti covered the walls.

The front doors rivaled her Castle gates and a string of people trickled out. Again, some pointed at Fox while others began to shout amid flashing lights. The vulpine narrowed his eyes in return but didn't acknowledge them. He instead led them towards a pair of gray doors off to the side that almost melded into the wall.

"When you're a Smasher you get special perks," he explained and tucked a small key into the wall. _Beep!_ The doors swung open with a smooth precision that couldn't be found in her world. Fox walked inside until he realized they weren't following and grinned, amusement written on his face. "Coming?" Zelda shook off her wonder and grabbed Melo by the arm.

They followed the vulpine down a series of hallways lit by glowing cases on the ceiling, sometimes running into mushroom men who would stare blatantly at them. "Don't mind them," Fox waved off their questions. "There just haven't been enlistees back here before."

When they reached an open corridor complete with a pair of double doors and a reception desk, Fox grabbed several papers from a wall hanger.

"Medical form," he waved a thick packet. "You'll realize soon enough that you don't need it." Zelda grabbed the stack with confusion but Fox moved on. "This second form is for anything that makes you more desirable: abilities, recommendations…" He trailed off once he noticed Zelda's look.

"Why are you going to this much trouble to help me?" She asked, and he truly smiled at this.

"Anyone who would fight tooth and nail for somebody they didn't know? They're okay in my book." He nodded once like he was agreeing with his own words. "The interviewers are past that door. Tell 'em Fox sent you and you'll be seen right away." With that, he waved once and turned down the corridor, disappearing from sight.


	4. Chapter 4

The papers were proving to be more of a hassle than Zelda thought they would be.

 _'It's no surprise Fox left as soon as he did.'_ They were almost as awful as her daily court papers.

Between the half-legible script to simply inane questions, Zelda was pinching the bridge of her nose by the end of the stack.

"Sheik?" Melo said, the name sounding hesitant off his lips. She would need to pound her instructions into his head later.

_Rule number one: Absolutely no one is to know her true identity. Whatever you must do, keep that secret locked deeper away in whatever crevice your heart may hide._

_Rule number two: Refer to rule one._

He stood before her now, toying with one of the pens from the front desk. She resisted the urge to rub at her eyes in annoyance.

"Yes, Melo?"

"The interviews are closing in half an hour," he said. She looked towards the large electronic clock that hung on the wall, Melo having taught her its design as soon as she saw it. Five 'o clock read on its neon face, the closing window to her grand escapade.

One glance at her registration papers and she knew that no amount of time would help her make a more acceptable form. It was now or never. She grabbed a few more papers from the front desk and the mushroom frowned; she paid them no heed. The more papers one held, the smarter one looked. She often employed this trick with her advisors, and if it could fool crotchety old men it would fool whatever was behind the door.

She knocked twice, "A little busy at the moment! Please come back tomorrow!" The voice was high and nasally as if the person had a cold. Undeterred, she knocked again.

"Fox McCloud has sent me. Please, it's urgent." The silence that followed lasted so long that Zelda was about to knock again until the voice answered with a huff.

"'Urgent', eh? Fine, but wipe your shoes!"

Taking the doorknob by hand, she was met with a sight she didn't expect. The smallest, oldest mushroom man she had ever seen sat behind a desk that easily dwarfed him, he could have sat comfortably in its drawers. His beard traveled past his feet and hung all the way to the floor, weaved in braids and held in pieces by an assortment of bows. The glasses were almost as ridiculous: the lenses were as thick as her index finger and took up half of his face.

The entire scene was completed by a small fold up chair set up for the visitor. It was probably meant to intimidate but she found it more humorous and was thankful her wraps covered half her face. He probably wouldn't have been amused by her smile.

"Well, you said it was an emergency. Out with it, girl!"

Zelda quirked a brow but politely ignored the comment."...I have wish to join the tournament."

The old mushroom sighed, the sound filling up the space around him until Zelda was worried it would be his final breath. "Might as well get through the last one. Sit!" The mushroom grumbled to himself while she sank into the folded chair, handing him her registration forms.

He adjusted the glasses on his face and squinted, holding the papers nearly a foot away from his face. By his expression, he didn't like what he saw. He hummed and harred, but Zelda could tell his decision was already made up. Frantically, she thought up anything that would act in her favor. Fox's words from earlier flashed across her mind, ' _It's almost impossible to get in unless you're a crowd favorite or got connections.'_

Zelda smiled, she knew what to do. The only catch was to make sure the old mushroom couldn't see what she was doing, which wouldn't be too hard considering he was practically blind. She concentrated on her remaining papers in hand and felt the warm magic leave her hands, forming an elegant scrawl, ' _We the Queen hath found inconceivable strength in Our warrior Sheik…'_

"I'm terribly sorry, miss...uh." Almost there- "Shike? Sheik! Yes, well…" The Royal Seal was almost finished... "With no proper audition- you were supposed to show weeks ago, you see. You're not quite what we're looking for."

She cleared her voice and the sound was embarrassingly loud. All the better, really. "Please forgive me, but I forgot to include this." She handed him her own recommendation and he straightened his glasses.

"Hmm…ah, yes! You should have mentioned this earlier, my dear!" He was far more cordial now, and he smiled, revealing a row of teeth. Zelda grimaced, mushroom men and teeth were a little too different for her.

"The Master Hand is fascinated with countries such as yours, with their…" he waved a hand as if he expected to grab the words out of thin air, "vintage beauty! I can't give you the official welcome just yet, as I need to run this through with the Master. But!" He rose his small fist, "I can assure you that you will be a most welcome addition to the crew!"

He finished his speech and looked slightly winded, but he jumped off the desk nonetheless. His long beard trailed behind him and dragged bits of lint from the carpet. "In the meantime, I suggest you head to the dining hall for dinner and meet the other Smashers."

He walked over to a cabinet in the corner of the room and rummaged quickly before pulling a slightly crumpled paper out. "Aha! Here is a map," his knarled fingers brushed over hers and she fought the urge to reclaim her hand, "try not to lose it, we don't make these anymore."

She bowed her thanks and left the room. Immediately Melo was at her side, "I assume you heard everything?"

He nodded and smiled, "I did. Congratulations! Although I would love to meet the Smashers, I need to get to the Inn. I'll check in with you tomorrow."

He looked so disheartened that Zelda promised to give him a tour later and he smiled, insisting he could easily find his way by himself. "After all," he concluded, "I'm one of the best trackers in Hyrule." Zelda smiled at this and they parted, Melo slipping into the shadows in true Sheikah fashion.

Now on her own, Zelda analyzed the map. The dome she saw outside was in fact only one part; the stadium was actually a sphere half submerged underground. The upper half was opened to the public and contained tourist shops, training rooms and the stages where the fights would take place.

Zelda widened her eyes at the section reserved for shops; it took up nearly a third of the space.

Below ground held the living sectors and rooms dedicated to lounging spaces. The very last few levels were for storage and she squinted at the map; there was no dedicated room to Master Hand.

Deciding she would contemplate the matter later, she made her way down the hallway to the stairs. It would be a _long_ way down.

* * *

By the time she was halfway down she was already dreading the return up. Her exhaustion had caught up to her; she hadn't slept all night and the culture shock had taken its toll on her body. Still, she couldn't sleep on the steps and persevered until she reached the tenth floor.

She pushed open the door that hung on the landing and almost shut it from the noise level on the other side. It sounded as if the building were tumbling down. With gritted teeth she stepped into the room and resisted the urge to cover her ears, she couldn't afford to appear weak.

Large dining tables were set up around the long room and lights of all kinds hung from the high-vaulted ceiling. There were even a few torches that adorned the wall. A counter that spanned the entire left wall contained platters of any food she could imagine, and kitchen servants walked by replacing the empty trays with steaming fresh entrees. Her mouth watered at the sight.

And the people! The room was crowded by people of all sizes and shapes; a blue dog walked upright with glowing hands, something akin to a bat in armor glided past. She was so caught up at the sight that she was almost run over by a young boy chasing a yellow rodent, and she jumped out of their way only to bump into a man in a jumpsuit.

He smelled of smoke and gunpowder, and his light eyes trailed down her attire. Although the action would be considered leering Zelda had the feeling he was assessing her. "I'm terribly sorry, please forgive me…" He nodded and walked off, leaving her to wonder what his assessment concluded.

"Hey, Princess! Over here!"

What? Panic bubbled within her and she spun around, eyes scanning the room for the source of the voice. It was Fox, he sat at one of the tables with other Smashers and waved once he saw he had her attention.

She all but ran towards him and tried to appear as passive as possible. "What do you mean by 'Princess'?" He couldn't possibly know, could he? How would he have figured it out?

"C'mon. Queen of stupidity, remember? Although, you _do_ seem more like a princess to me." He grinned and winked at her and she felt her panic subside. He was _joking_ ; Goddesses, she should get out more.

"Take a seat," he pointed to a chair beside a flamboyantly dressed man wearing a helmet and she sat down. The soft padding felt as soft as a feather pillow and she sighed, sinking deeper into the chair. She wasn't sure she could get up again. Fox grinned at her, white teeth bared. Was he always smiling? "I knew you would make it in. Welcome to the crew, Princess."

"...I haven't been officially added to the roster. The interviewer still had the form when I left."

Fox's grin wiped off and he pulled one of his whiskers in thought. "Really? Well, I'm sure you'll make it. The Hand _has_ been rumored to have a soft spot for kingdoms like yours." Reassured by his own words, his mouth lifted at the corners. "Yeah, might as well introduce you to the crew. That's Captain Falcon, one of the best racers on the circuit." He pointed towards the man beside her. The captain bowed his head towards her, "You can call me Falcon." He smiled and Zelda found the expression fit nicely on his face.

Fox then pointed towards a bird in clothing similar to his own and smiled, although this one came off as strained. "This one's Falco Lombardi. He can be kind of a pain, so ignore him."

Falco glared at Fox but turned to her with a smirk. "Nice to meet you, _Princess._ " He grinned as much as one could do with a beak.

Fox finished his introductions with a grand flourish to a tall blond woman on Falcon's side, "This is Samus Aran, intergalactic bounty hunter with a famous smash streak."

"So, you got a name other than Fox's stupid pick?" Falco said, spinning his fork in a clump of pasta.

Zelda nodded, "I am Sheik from Hyrule, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you." She finished her self-introduction with a customary bow.

"Yeesh. You weren't kidding, she _is_ a stiff," Falco muttered to Fox who chuckled in return.

"Yeah. She'll grow out of it in time," Fox said.

Ignoring the fact that she was being talked about as if she weren't there, Zelda turned her attention to Falcon. "What brought you to the tournament?"

His eyes widened slightly and she was afraid she offended him before he laughed, his stomach shaking the table with his gasps. "Hardly anyone has asked me that before, much less a rookie! I joined when the tournament re-opened, looking for a little excitement and a different change of pace to racing."

"When the tournament re-opened?"

"Yeah, it closed several years ago. There was a mishap that happened and the whole tournament was canceled. The matter was closed only a year ago, but the tournament opened a few months after," Fox piped up from the opposite side of the table.

Zelda was about to ask what the mishap was when something landed on her lap. It was the yellow rodent from before, "Pikachu likes you!" The little boy she saw chasing it now stood by her chair, looking at the creature in her lap. She hesitantly brought a hand up to the rodent; she wasn't fond of rats.

As if sensing her unease, Samus spoke for the first time since she sat down. "Pikachu isn't like any animal from your planet. He is part of a species called Pokémon." Her voice was low and pleasant, each word carefully thought out.

Zelda nodded and scratched behind Pikachu's ears, "What's your name?"

The boy beamed at her and pointed his thumb at his chest, "I'm Ness. Who're you?"

Zelda smiled at his forwardness, there were some qualities that only children could pull off. "I'm Sheik, and it's _very_ nice to meet you." Ness opened his mouth to say something further but was interrupted by the sound of static coming from the ceiling.

" _zssst_ Sheik of Hyrule, please report to Master Hand on the seventh level in the Drawing Room. _zssst"_ The static broke off and Zelda was aware that the room had fallen into a dead silence.

She looked around for whoever spoke, yet none met her eye. "What was that?" she whispered to Fox.

He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "...It was the intercom." He left it at that but looked like he wanted to say more. Finally, he got up.

"I'll show you to the Drawing Room."

Zelda nodded and stood, Pikachu hopping into Ness's arms. The boy looked at her with wonder in his eyes and she couldn't help but feel perturbed.

Everyone at the table was silent except for Falco who stood hissing to Fox and making quick gestures with his wings, his eyes narrowed at her. She met his gaze coolly. What had she done wrong? It was unlikely that her recommendation was found out to be none other than some charmed papers, and even if it was she would send Melo for an official document.

She walked over to Fox, this time he waited for her before walking on. They weaved between tables and their footsteps echoed on the dining room floor. The air was hushed with whispers, and every so often she would meet the gaze of some.

She spotted the gunpowder man from before; he sat in a corner by himself with his head rested on his hand looking to all the world uninterested but she was positive he was observing her every move. Someone tugged on her sleeve as she walked past; a young woman who looked only slightly older than herself smiled, bright blue eyes blinking towards her own crimson ones.

"Good luck!" she whispered, and Zelda couldn't help but smile behind her mask.

They left the room and entered a hall dressed with warm colors accented by oak flooring. It was a welcome respite to the cold atmosphere of the dining room, and Zelda took a moment to breathe. Fox abruptly turned around and stood in front of her, blocking her path.

"Do you know what this means, Princess?"

Fox met her face with a grim expression, paw resting towards a holster on his waist in a nervous tick. He didn't give her a chance to answer. "It means you've _caught his interest._ Master Hand hardly ever calls to meet with anyone, and has never met with a newcomer or applicant. He prefers to drop in unexpected, it's his style." He spat the last part like it was poison.

She was taken aback at his hostility, and immediately a thousand questions ran through her mind. But she quelled them and instead spoke for the present. "What do you suggest that I do?"

His blue eyes, unusual for a fox, were grim and hesitant. His tail flicked back and forth, ears alert with his hair standing on ends. She would almost think him angry if he weren't in obvious turmoil _._

Finally he relented, stepping to the side. "I'm not sure," he muttered.

There are some moments in life that call for a heart of courage; Zelda recognized this as one of those moments. Fox's eyes searched her face, but she kept a marble front and glided breezily past him. "Then I suppose I should make haste."

After all, it was what she had come to do.


	5. Chapter 5

The echo of their footsteps resounded in the hallway and out the window, sunlight danced in the hallway from the setting sun and bathe everything in a vibrant orange. She wanted to ask Fox how it was possible for there to be a window when they were a level below ground but held her tongue. One look at him and she knew he was in no mood to explain.

He looked more serious than she had thought was possible for him. His jaw set with back straight and head held high like he was heading to battle; perhaps he was.

She wasn't a fool, she knew better than to underestimate an opponent. But as a ruler she knew not to barge into situations that she only knew from other's point of views. That was how great kingdoms had fallen and where mighty kings became weak.

Be that as it may, she couldn't suppress the nagging feeling that told her Fox was right.

They reached a dead end with only two knob-less silver doors waiting for them, surrounded by fake shrubbery and a small painting that hung askew. Fox walked ahead of her and pressed some buttons that were to the side; the doors slid open and Zelda walked forward in curiosity.

Fox's mouth twitched, "If you're impressed by that, just wait till you get inside." She followed him into the small room and the doors slid closed. "You may want to hold onto something." She only had the time to grab the metal bar on the side before it felt like the ground crashed and she fell to her knees.

The sensation was over before it started and the doors slid open. Fox helped her to her feet, "Don't worry, other people who aren't used to technology had the same reaction." He looked her over before adding, "That was your first time, wasn't it? Do yourself a favor and start taking the elevator, you look terrible."

Zelda could only nod without risking the chance of falling over. He helped her walk into another hallway that led with a tattered long carpet. Parts of the walls had been repainted, small holes spread throughout the plaster as if a brawl had taken place. She could only assume they had reached the living spaces. Their footsteps were muffled by carpet and Fox supported her until she could walk on her own.

"Thank you," she said. He nodded in reply, and she couldn't help but voice her next question. "Did Link have the same problem?"

After seeing Fox's face she added, "With the elevator. Did he adapt easily to the technology?"

He glanced at her dubiously, "What do you know about the guy?"

Not knowing how much she should disclose, she stuck with what would be common knowledge to even the most out of touch Hylian. "He's regarded as a hero in my country." Fox nodded slowly, but he still looked slightly wary.

"I don't know much about the guy except that he isn't what he seems. He's quiet and keeps to himself, but there's something wild in the way he fights. Those eyes... Something isn't right there."

He shook his head and looked at her sternly, "I don't know what he did for your country, but here it's different. It's always different." He added, looking straight ahead. Zelda didn't know what to make of it.

They passed a door propped open, smoke curling out and into the hall. Zelda and Fox traded alarmed glances and they peeked inside. The room was crowded with an assortment of trinkets, polished picture frames perched on a large dresser, the details smeared over with dust and grime.

Her attention was too focused on the monstrosity lounging on his bed. He looked as if someone had crammed a turtle shell on the back of a dragon and stank of sulfur. The monster only glanced in their direction before he chuckled deep in his throat and flexed his claws.

"What's so funny, Bowser?" Fox stopped walking and Zelda paused, the monster glancing her way. Bowser got to his feet slowly, his mass seeming to double in size when he reached full height. He easily dwarfed them in every way, Zelda only coming to his shoulder and less than half his girth.

Fox narrowed his eyes as the monster slowly made his way to the door. He reached for the holster by his side as Bowser loomed over them. A low guttural chuckle made its way through the monster's throat and he grinned, smoke slithering out of his mouth. His teeth were the size of Zelda's knuckle, she reckoned he could bite her in half if he so wished. She started to gather some magic in her hand, Bowser's yellow eyes flickering between her and Fox. His hand moved-

-and shut his bedroom door.

A cackle resounded behind the closed door and Fox let out a breath, muttering a stream of profanities before turning towards her, "Don't go near him." Zelda couldn't help but agree.

They left the corridor after that and he led her through a series of twists and turns through the halls. Zelda noticed that the quality had gradually begun to improve the further they walked.

The carpet was a fresh green over honey wood floors, the walls painted a soft yellow like sunlight in the morning. The hall soon opened to a wide space meant for relaxed gatherings. Plush couches filled the space, a screen not unlike what she saw in the city hung on a wall. Low tables stood on sturdy legs near the couches, and soft lights hung suspended in the air.

Fox pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room, "There you are." It was a seemingly innocent door, a soft brown with a golden door knob. It could pass for any door, yet Zelda knew what lay on the other side determined her life from then on. Her next steps could lead her to glory or ruin, the fact bundled in a small package of poetry.

She took a few steps and turned, expecting to see Fox halfway down the hall. He stared at her, arms crossed with an eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Aren't you leaving?"

He scoffed, offended by the idea. "Princess, I don't run with my tail between my legs. 'Trust your instincts' is what I live by, and my instincts are telling me to stay put." He accented this by plopping onto a couch, quite a sight between the overstuffed pillows.

Zelda was honestly surprised. They had only just met, yet he chose to act like they had known each other for years. She felt some of the weight on her shoulders lift and a smile curled on her face in turn.

He tossed her something orange and white and she caught it. It was a small Fox figurine, the clothes an exact copy and the fur so realistic it could have come from the real one himself. "A good luck charm," he explained, and Zelda felt a rush of gratitude that couldn't be put into words. She nodded and Fox grinned before his face hardened. "Don't let the Hand get under your skin."

With those parting words, he gave her a thumbs up and she returned it, stepping through the door that marked her destiny.

* * *

When she was young, young enough to get away with running barefoot through the halls, she came across a dove. It lay on an alcove near her bedroom door, wings spread as if suspended in flight.

Its blood seeped into the cracks of the mortar.

_She screamed and ran, tiny feet pounding on the steps leading to the conference room where she knew Impa and her father would be meeting with an ambassador. She barged through the door with fat tears rolling down her cheeks, and the room was ordered to be cleared._

_After several attempts at half-intelligible whines, she told them about the dove. Her father's face had darkened, and she didn't notice when Impa left the room preparing her daggers._

_Her father had put her in his lap-_ something he stopped not long after _\- and sighed. "Zelda, sometimes people will try to scare you. When they do, you must stand strong. I won't always be here to hold you." When she began to fuss, he silenced her._

_"Shh, now. And that is why you must dry your tears now, so Papa has nothing to worry about when the time comes."_

The memory flashed through her mind as she took in the room. There was complete darkness, and she would have been stumbling blindly if it weren't for the funnel of light that came from underneath the door. The light spread until the middle of the room, and it bounced off of a ring of couches that encompassed the walls. ' _Almost like a pig pen...'_ She squeezed the figurine in her hand, the fur poking out between her fingers.

Everything out of reach of the light was bathed in darkness, the outline of lamps and bookshelves odd and grotesque in silhouette.

Zelda took a few slow steps into the room, her footsteps muted by the carpet as she crept around the crouches. It wasn't until she made it to the center of the ring that she had the prickling sense of being watched from above. Slowly, she rose her head.

A detached hand clung onto the ceiling above her.

A white satin glove covered the disembodied limb, a right hand garbed in white. He glowed in the shadows; she was reminded of the Hero of Time's journal that was preserved in the Castle Library.

_"Upon reaching the monster's lair, I found to my horror a creature ascended from the Pit. Two hands and face I saw, and to the beat of a drum I fell victim to: a dance of death. Its title was Bongo Bongo..."_

Laughter bounced off the walls, and she caught herself looking for the head when his name passed her mind, _Master Hand_. He was a hand.

He descended from the ceiling as if he were lowered from a wire, graceful and slow. The likeness to a spider didn't go past Zelda and her spine snapped straight.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come, Sheik." His voice rang in her mind and seemed to fill the empty space in the room, groomed with refinement, a hint of something else beneath the surface.

She bowed, "I apologize for the wait, Master Hand." If hands could grin, she was sure this one would be. His fingers crawled towards her and she fought the urge to flinch. "No need. You arrived, and that's all that matters. Please, take a seat." He pointed towards one of the couches and she sat on its edge, hands folded in her lap.

"How has your time been here? I bet it has been quite the shock, coming from a kingdom such as yours."

"While I admit this city's advances are very impressive compared to Hyrule, our magic is capable of similar qualities that I have adjusted to." She stroked his ego and saw it worked. The Hand perked up and folded its two fingers over the other two. _'I haven't adjusted to_ that, _however.'_

"Ah, of course. I must ask something that has been on my mind for quite some time. You see, I find Hyrule to be rather fascinating," he moved around the room, the beam of light slipping through the cracks between his fingers. The moving shadows covered her face as he passed.

"The veins of power and beauty are embedded in the soil of that country," his fingers quivered, "as such, it is no secret that there are many guardians such as yourself in place." The Hand halted in its walk and faced her. "I understand that a great war has ravaged your land recently. One would think every guard would be on duty. _Why_ , then, are you here?"

 _How,_ in Nayru's name, did he know _that?_ Despite being hard-pressed to say otherwise, Hyrule wasn't important enough to garner the attention of another realm. Even as its ruler she had to think rationally, and any other half-sane argument that said otherwise promptly flew out the window.

"Because of the nature of the last war, the Queen has given me permission to hone my skills with the great warriors here. Perhaps the skills I attain may be of use to other Sheikah once I return."

Master Hand tapped his index finger on the ground, computing this new bit of information. Finally, he drawled, "I was under the impression the Sheikah were a dying race."

Zelda dared not move a muscle aside from a single brow that broke through her control and rose, cutting across her forehead and arching past her crafted bangs. Master Hand took advantage of her pause leaned in on his fingertips, "The Sheikah have been gone for a while now, haven't they? How do I know you are what you say?"

While the average Hyrule citizen knew of the many stories and folklore, most believed the same. But his knowledge of them made no sense. _Especially_ if he recognized her as one, presuming he wasn't only hazarding a guess at her position as guardian. She licked her lips, "My people have stayed by the Royal Family for generations. We have never left." At Master Hand's silence she added, "Although we may have been hidden, we were everywhere."

Master Hand seemed disappointed by this and fell back on his palm. "I see. Perhaps I will have use for you. And if I don't, the media enjoys ripping apart the fresh meat." That was a threat if she ever heard one.

An awful sound boomed around her and she realized he was laughing, rising into the air with each breath. She ignored the tightening in her chest when she realized he crawled on the floor to disturb her and tried not to dwell on the fact he succeeded.

"You are dismissed. Here is your room number and key," a paper and bronze key floated towards her and she grabbed them out of thin air, "you will be scheduled to fight once you have comfortably settled in." She couldn't help but think her definition of comfortable was vastly different from his.

Zelda bowed and walked towards the door, gait calm and confident while on the inside her organs were jelly. His stare made her hair stand on ends and she put her hand on the doorknob, almost to freedom-

"And Sheik?" She turned and Master Hand floated a hair's breadth away- _how was he so silent?_ -"If your people are everywhere, I don't suppose I'll find one creeping in my halls?"

 _Melo_... She shook her head. "Good. Yes, very good..." She waited for him to finish or give any sign that she was dismissed, but he didn't.

As she left, all she could think of was the dead and bloody dove from so many years ago.

* * *

Fox stood as she strode from the closed door and didn't say a word until they were well into the hall, away from nosy ears and floating hands.

"What did he have to say?"

The lights from the ceiling cast a fluorescent glow that made Fox's face too harsh, his fur throwing shadows over his eyes. It reminded her of the room.

"Sheik."

Anger- _and a hint of betrayal, though she wouldn't dwell on that-_ burned its way into her veins and she spun on her heel to face him. "Why didn't you tell me he was a _hand_?" If she had some warning, a hint for goddess's sake, maybe she wouldn't have been so _terrified_.

"What? You think you would've been calm knowing he was a faceless, glove-covered meat claw?" He barked a humorless laugh, "C'mon, Princess. I know you can do better than that."

She let out a small huff, eyes still blazing but her temper subsided. "He knew things that someone of his position shouldn't know." Some sympathy, ( _or was it pity?),_ reached his eyes, "I know. Like I said, don't let him get under your skin."

They walked down a few more halls in silence until she broke it. "What is the media?"

Fox looked at her dryly before responding, "The paparazzi, the gossips; all of the trash compiled together to create the ultimate garbage heap on one unlucky soul." She nodded, considering this.

"Why? Did he threaten to go to the media about you?" He scoffed before muttering, "Like they need anything else to write about."

"He said something of the like. I assume they're rather vicious towards the newcomers?"

Fox nodded, "The first weeks are the hardest. That is, assuming you made it?" She handed him her room information in answer and he smiled. "It's only a couple halls down from mine, and on this floor too."

They walked down several more halls and her energy was completely spent. Fox noticed this and ushered her forward, insisting they were almost to her door. "Sorry Princess, but don't expect any royal treatment." He winked and she weakly smiled back, though she doubted he could tell.

The floor turned to a dark, almost black wood covered with a storm-gray carpet. The same color painted the walls, and a texture was added that made it seem as if they were swimming in ocean foam.

"Your room is the third door to the right." Fox pointed down the hall and grinned. "Now I really am turning tail. It's late and I've got a brawl in the morning."

Before she could utter an ounce of thanks he added, "You should come. 11 'o clock, ask around and someone will show you the way." They said their goodbyes, Fox grinning like he had been the entire day. Then she was alone in the empty hallway.

Zelda looked at each of the doors; she hadn't noticed it before, but every door had its own engraving. The one on the right of her's had an insignia of a fox, though Fox had said his room was elsewhere.

The door to the left of hers depicted a mushroom, and her own had the Triforce. She ran a finger over the engraving, reaching for her key until she sensed someone else's presence. She turned, a greeting on her lips.

It was Link.

Despite the months that had passed, the events that had unraveled in time, he looked the same. From his green tunic to the Master Sword, his worn brown gloves to the blue hoop on his left ear, he looked as if he had just returned from Hyrule and hadn't been at the tournament for the past few months.

He stood across from her, arms at his side with his feet shoulder width apart and stared her down. She met his eyes and could see what Fox had meant; his eyes held the same gaze as a wolf. ' _Fitting,'_ she thought, for he was one.

"Who are you?"

Link broke the silence with a voice that sounded hoarse from lack of use, and she was pulled from her musings. He didn't recognize her. It should have been a compliment to her disguise, a sign that she had done well with her magic; instead she felt a twinge of disappointment.

"I am Sheik," she answered curtly then inwardly winced. It seemed part of her bitterness leaked out and he narrowed his eyes.

"Sheik the Sheikah?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to answer. He slowly walked towards her as a predator would creep to its prey, and the irony that he saved her kingdom a few months before did not go past her.

"What did Master Hand want from you?" There it was again. the same hostility as Fox's crept into his voice and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He must have overheard the intercom and sought her out.

Zelda stepped forward, "I grabbed his interest." She kept an impassive gaze, silently daring him to challenge her words.

He stared hard at her for a moment, then relented. He nodded and reached out his hand, "Link."

She thought about telling him everything in that moment, her identity, the vision and possible impending doom. She thought about telling him what shouldn't have felt as important: her anger at his silence for the past few months, her fear in the new world she found herself in; she almost told him all of it.

Instead, she took his hand and shook it. "Sheik."

The sides of his mouth twitched and he nodded, "I know." Then he turned and entered the room across from hers.

She wasn't sure when she entered her own room, nor when she placed her pack at the foot of her new bed. She was only aware that when she pulled the covers over herself, she still held the small Fox. Perhaps her luck hasn't run out yet.


	6. Chapter 6

… _She was stunning, made out of fairy dust and stars. She smiled and the afterglow fluttered like a thousand butterflies._

_Zelda looked away from her, wanted to forget once again. A hand lifted her chin and the touch burned like fire._

_She closed her eyes for she knew the woman's gaze was level to hers, and she couldn'twouldn't_ won't _look. For she knew that in those depths lay the future of all she held dear, and it scared her (more than she knew)._

The warm touch of sunlight fell on Zelda's face and she awoke from her slumber, the heaviness of exhaustion lingering in her bones. She could still feel the touch of fire on her chin and she touched the spot with her hand. Whatever she had just dreamed was no ordinary dream. Something was off; she _knew_ she should have recognized the woman. She knew it with all of her might.

It could very well be one of her ancestors. The women of the Royal Family were notorious for receiving visions and messages from the dead. She frowned, ' _Even the spirits are trying to speak to me.'_ She stirred and rose from her bed. Whatever she had dreamed would be revealed to her in time.

She stepped lightly to the window and frowned in confusion. Light danced through the curtains when the window shouldn't have even existed, she never did ask Fox how it was possible for there to be sunlight when they were underground.

Outside, the city was slowly awakening from its slumber. People wandered out of the buildings onto the streets and the hovering boxes floated to the skies one by one. Reaching forward her fingertips barely grazed the glass before the view shifted into snow dusted mountains. She inhaled sharply and jerked her hand back.

She touched the window again and the view became a forest with sunlight dripping through the treetops _._ She switched through the pictures several times until she kept her favorite one: a plush meadow that carpeted rolling hills, ripe with daisies and wild flowers.

As Zelda was quickly discovering in this new world, technology was a very powerful thing indeed.

She changed into a fresh Sheikah suit and laid her old one out to wash later, re-braiding her hair to look presentable. The fox figurine was nestled between the bed sheets and she dug it out, tying it to her belt with tweed. She would give it to Fox later after his match.

_After Fox's match._

Oh, Goddesses! She had completely forgotten about it, and now she might even be _late!_ Zelda grabbed a lump of bread from her pack and stuffed it in her mouth; there wasn't any time for breakfast.

She almost made it to her bedroom door until she felt a familiar magic near: _Sheikah magic._

"Melo."

The Sheikah stepped out from the shadows slowly as if he were a scolded child. "Good morning, Your Majesty." He bowed but she stared him down until he cracked. "I didn't know when to come and get you, so I waited outside until I knew you were awake." At her silence he added, "I didn't come in till I knew you were decent, I swear!"

She thought about waiting a while longer, if only to get a morbid satisfaction out of his squirming, but relented. He could have stayed hidden but he allowed her to sense his presence.

For that she smiled and his face lit up. _'If only everyone could be this easily pleased.'_ He looked at the bread hanging out of her mouth and quirked his eyebrow, "Are you late for something?" _That's right._ Zelda checked to see if the hallway was empty and grabbed Melo's arm, hauling him out the door.

"I'm supposed to watch Fox McCloud in a fight this morning," she said after chewing around the bread. "Ah, I see... Do you know where the arena is?"

She took out the crumpled map from her pocket and straightened the creases from it. "It's on the top level."

Melo nodded, "We should probably find the lifter box."

She looked at him confused. "Do you mean the elevator?"

He grinned and scratched at his head, "Is that what they call them? Because it's _quite literally_ a box that lifts. Odd." He had a point but she chose to ignore it and didn't reply.

They walked down the maze of hallways and Zelda told Melo about her meeting with Master Hand. He stayed silent for a while, leading her down the same yellow hall that Fox had led her through the night before. Finally, he spoke, "Do you think you're here to take him down?"

Zelda waited before responding, the thought had crossed her mind before. "It's a possibility, but one I'll wait on until I am sure of it. If he is only a corrupt businessman I don't want to chance an attack too soon. I've only just arrived, after all."

Melo nodded, "That is a wise choice." Before he could say anymore the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, and she only had to glance at him before he faded into the shadows. Zelda placed her cowl back over her mouth and stood at attention.

"Oh! Hello there!" A bubbly voice carried down the hall; it was the young blond woman from the night before. She hitched her skirts up and ran down the hall surprisingly fast for her attire, her heels making muffled _thumps_ on the carpet with each step.

She was rather pretty in a vibrant way, everything about her was color. From her petal lips to the rosy hue on her cheeks, she looked the epitome of vitality. The scent of strawberries and vanilla kissed the air and Zelda felt it was perfect for her. "How are you?" The woman smiled and Zelda was taken aback some.

Smoothing out her uniform she replied, "I am well. And you?" The woman laughed, the sound as bright as a bell. "Wonderful! I am Peach, and it is lovely to meet you." Peach curtsied and held out a dainty hand. Not quite sure what to do with the hand- _she was a woman, couldn't she tell?_ \- Zelda took it and bowed, "Sheik, from Hyrule. It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

Peach beamed at her, "Now that introductions are over, let's see the others! They're dying to meet you."

' _The others? What?'_ Her eyes widened at Peach's sudden grip on her arm, a surprisingly strong one that pulled her down the hall.

Zelda looked for Melo and spotted him gesturing towards her, _Would you like me to handle this?_ She shook her head slightly to the left and Melo disappeared from sight.

"Excuse me Peach, but I have a…previous engagement." It was hard to seem poised when she was being dragged by her arm like some unruly child.

Peach stopped, the leftover momentum shooting Zelda forward and she smiled sheepishly, "Oops! Mario always says I struggle with this type of 'social interaction,'" the air quotes were a nice touch. She hummed in consideration before asking, "Is it something we can do on the way?"

 _'We?'_ Zelda cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. "I promised a friend I would watch him fight." Peach perked up immediately and Zelda knew she wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

"You mean Fox? There's only one brawl at a time, and that's where everyone is! Perfect," she smiled again and Zelda only nodded back, at least she would meet the others.

They entered the elevator and Zelda tightly gripped the holding bar with both hands. Peach eyed her, "You don't like elevators much, do you?" At Zelda's nod Peach smiled "Well, I'm sure you'll get used to it. It's better than the alternative, with all these floors! And I thought _my_ castle was huge."

 _Castle?_ "Are you a princess?" Peach tilted her head to the side before her face flushed. "Oh my! Mario always says I do that too! Yes, I'm the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom." Zelda thought back to all of the mushroom men she had seen around the city.

"Your people are mushrooms?" Peach laughed as if the whole idea was silly, waving her hand, "No, they're Toads." Zelda couldn't help but think they looked more like mushrooms than toads but held her tongue.

The elevator stopped and Zelda managed to stay on her feet with only a slight wobble; Peach to her credit helped her regain balance without complaint. The doors slid open with a _ding_ to reveal what was easily the most impressive room in the building. It was the size of the Castle courtyard and tiled with silver floors and walls, shined to the point where their reflections gazed back at them. Several counters were set up around the room, some holding booths while others admitted fans through gates into doors on either side of a large black wall.

Employees rushed across the floor, some holding little squares in their hands that would light up and sing. Floating screens hovered above and around them, each with their own moving pictures.

One floated by as they walked, a woman's voice projecting off the sides of it. " _Welcome to Smash Central, where heroes from across the universe battle for glory and honor…"_

Peach didn't spare it a glance and tugged Zelda along, weaving through throngs of excited fans and dashing employees. She took her to a silver counter that had no line, the Toad sitting behind it waving them past. Several onlookers flashed bright lights at them and Peach giggled, smiling graciously at the people who tugged on her skirt. Zelda followed behind silently, more or less her shadow.

They walked to the black wall past the counter and stopped; now that they were closer Zelda could see her reflection perfectly. It was like a black mirror, only it reflected the people and not the room. _'How strange,'_ she thought. What could it be made of?

Peach smiled knowingly. "This is how to get to the active arena. It will teleport us to the others." She stepped forward and took out a golden chain with a key attached, pressing it to the wall. To Zelda's astonishment the key sank as if the wall was liquid, the onyx mass enveloping the key only to spit out the chain.

A scratch formed on the wall that stretched towards the ground to form a door, the Smash logo glowing in the center. "Your room key acts as a ticket to the arenas. Try not to lose it! I know from experience," she giggled then, waving the golden chain in one hand and pushed open the door with the other.

The room was decently sized and obviously made for comfort. A soft blue carpet was spread over dark wood, and overstuffed couches sat facing the walls. Small rotating tables hovered several feet above the ground and lowered drinks to thirsty patrons. The design was the same as the large room from where she came from, silver and smooth: flawless. The walls, though, were easily the most impressive quality of the room.

They were completely see-through.

Audience members sat so closely that she could easily tap one on the shoulder, if not for the pane of glass that separated them. One man, decked in an over sized mockery of a nose with a fake bushy mustache, looked right at her but didn't even blink. His eyes glazed over her without interest and acted as if she weren't even there.

"It's a one-sided mirror."

The voice was low and masculine, definitely not Peach's. Zelda turned to see a tall man cloaked in a tattered cape that had seen better days. His most shocking feature was his navy blue hair, determined to point out in large spikes from behind his red tie.

Peach stepped through the doorway behind Zelda and retrieved her key, exchanging exuberant niceties with a stout man she called Mario. Zelda looked towards the tall man, "What do you mean by one-sided?"

"It means that to them, they only see their own reflections," he explained patiently as if he were used to answering questions. "I'm Ike, by the way." He held out his hand and she shook it, earning a dazzling smile from Peach who had wandered to her side with Mario in tow. "Sheik, this is Mario, my hero!"

He blushed and gave a small laugh, "I just do what anyone would, if they could." Zelda saw it in his eyes if not his words. He was humble, and that was one of the greatest traits a person could have. She bowed, "Courage does not just belong to anyone, Mario."

Peach's mouth went into a small O, Mario's face reddening even deeper. "Stop that, you'll give him an aneurysm," Falcon strode through the wall with Samus trailing behind him, her expression completely blank while his was as eccentric as ever.

They strode over to their small group circled in the center of the room, Ike taking his leave to sit on one of the couches. Falcon looked down his nose at her, "Are you excited to see your first brawl?" Zelda stared through the window towards the stage; it was small compared to the rest of the stadium.

The stage was a flat gray surface, nothing particularly special about it except for the long silver lines that crisscrossed through the middle like vines. A long pole supported it in the center, holding the platform above a bottomless pit. The drop was coated in inky blackness and Zelda could only wonder what the fall led to.

"I suppose, though I am not so sure how a fight here will pan out." They stared at her in mixed degrees of shock, Peach finally breaking the silence, "You don't know how a brawl works?" Mario shook his head towards the princess, "No, I think she means she doesn't know what the rules of the stage are."

He smiled reassuringly at Zelda, "Don't worry, none of us know. The rules are always a surprise to the rest of us; only the fighters know if the brawl will be specialized or not." At Zelda's blank look his eyes widened, "You don't know how a brawl works?"

Zelda shook her head and Falcon groaned, "Alright, don't tell anyone else. You'll be marked as a target around here." They sat her down away from the other smashers who were arriving, each explaining any rule they deemed important to relay.

"And if you get a flower on your head, knock it off. It racks up damage!" Peach insisted on nitpicking every possible situation while Mario nodded in agreement, adding his own advice when he felt it was needed. Falcon was probably the most helpful, sticking with the basics "Basically, try to get as many KO's as you can." At everyone's stare Samus deadpanned, "Try not to get knocked off."

Falcon looked at the bounty hunter, his face twisted before he shrugged, "I guess that's as good as any."

" _Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Super Smash Bros., the center of champions!"_ The announcer interrupted them and the noise was deafening from outside, the crowds hollering and waving as the lights in the stadium dimmed. It didn't make the stadium any darker, however, as there was no roof. Natural daylight fanned across the thousands of people situated in the stands.

"There's the score board," Falcon pointed at a large screen that hovered above the stage, the logo of a mushroom flashing in the corner.

"C'mon, I'll show you something neat," Falcon brought her to the window and touched the glass; the wall zoomed in as if they were on the stage and the fans were cheering for them instead. "Cool, huh? This way you get the full experience," he grinned, plopping down on one of the couches where Samus perched on its arm.

Peach, Mario, and Ike were already sharing another couch and Zelda took the empty one beside it, briefly wondering what Melo thought of the stadium. ' _He's probably having the time of his life,'_ she smiled, his admiration for the brawls was easy for anyone to see.

"Oh, Link! You made it!"

Zelda whipped her head to see the man in question step through the black door looking slightly disarrayed. He looked Zelda's way and nodded, turning to sit on one of the wooden chairs in the corner. "Link, there's a seat for you right here," Peach pointed towards Zelda and the she traded a long stare with him. Link stood still for so long she believed he would ignore Peach, but at the last second he turned and walked to the couch.

If she hadn't been looking for it, Zelda wouldn't have noticed the way Falcon let out the tiniest breath, or the way Mario's fist slowly unclenched. It seemed Fox wasn't the only one wary of Link.

But Peach smiled, her bright eyes shining with pride and she started gossiping about the latest news with the others. Link sat stiffly on the edge of the couch and stared straight ahead without a greeting.

" _Now to introduce our fighters! From the city of Corneria, we have the leader of the Starfox team, Fox McCloud!"_ The vulpine was lifted on a small silver platter like a main dish and placed down on the stage as the crowd went wild. He waved to the crowd and flashed his white pointed teeth.

" _And also from the city of Corneria, the ace pilot Falco Lombardi!"_

Fox was fighting Falco. The room of smashers quieted to a grim silence, allowing the vibration of the the floating tables to be heard humming in the air. The audience was oblivious to their somber mood and the cheering grew louder; some fans looked as if they were about to pass out. Falco ignored them and stepped off of his disk, all the while staring at Fox. The vulpine stopped waving and walked towards Falco, extending his hand.

Falco swatted it away.

For a brief moment Fox's face fell, but he smiled back even harder and went into position, the bird following suit. Zelda narrowed her eyes, _'What had happened between them?'_ Granted they weren't on the best of terms the night before, but Fox had led her to believe they were at least comrades.

Falcon mumbled a curse from his spot on the couch and sighed, running a hand over his head. "So he's going to play that way, eh?"

" _Stock rules apply. One life, last one standing wins. Stage setting: Luigi's Mansion!"_

The entire stadium became covered in a dark fog so thick Zelda couldn't see her own hand. Contrary to the pandemonium crowds of people liked to create, there weren't any screams or gasps echoing in the stadium. In fact, it was as if the phenomenon was expected. In moments the fog cleared and she gasped. They weren't in the stadium any longer.

Zelda wasn't sure _where_ they were.

The stadium was completely gone, everything shrouded in darkness except for the stage. A large moon glowed eerily behind the most twisted building Zelda had seen, a dilapidated mansion that glared with a murky window gaze. The windows were tilted inwards, the doors swinging slightly in a cold wind that began to blow. The greenery was almost black with sickness and long tendrils of moss curled in the air.

All of this was supported on a thin rock pillar that looked as if it would crumble any second.

Zelda could feel the chill in her veins and hear the moaning of the rotted wood, yet she wasn't even on the stage. Fox and Falco weren't fazed at all, they simply stood on the roof waiting for their signal.

She was distracted by Mario and Peach's harsh whispering; Mario had his brows furrowed and looked increasingly agitated, "…it's despicable…Luigi…" His words became more furious and harder to understand, his eyebrows furrowing together until they became one solid line. Peach placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to calm him down but it looked liked she was fraying at the ends as well.

" _Three, two, one…Go!"_

While she was looking away the battle had begun, and she turned in time to see Falco land a kick to Fox's face. The vulpine flew off the roof and landed in a heap on the ground, tail bent at an odd angle. Zelda gasped and held a hand to her mouth. Was he alright?

Fox flipped to his feet and grinned, waving Falco down from his perch. The bird obliged and soared down the wall, Fox darting out of the way.

Their speed was incredible; the two were a blur. They crashed through a wall and Falco lunged towards Fox, slicing the air with his wings to catch the vulpine in the jaw. Blood spurted from the cut but he ignored it, ducking low underneath Falco's next slice.

They jumped and twirled through the different rooms, scrapes speckled their faces from where the wood splintered. Falco pulled out a strange device and spurts of light burned into Fox's jacket. He winced but stayed on the defensive. In fact, he had hardly attacked at all.

The vulpine looked horrible, blood matting his fur and a dislocated arm dangled by his side, his tail crooked. It was getting hard to watch him get beaten to a pulp; Zelda's hand wandered down to her waist where the figurine was tied.

Fox dove over an old dining room table and dragged the heavy brocade covering, spilling the dusty candelabras and plates to the floor in a clatter. Glass shattered to the floor as Falco kicked a china cabinet across the room and Fox barely dodged it. He was beginning to tire, it was easy to see in the way he threw himself like a ragdoll.

Falco was about to land another blow, possibly the last, when the walls began to sing.

Music blared throughout the stadium and echoed in the air, both fighters stopping briefly in their fight to glance around. Beside her, Link leaned forward. The glow from the fake moon cast shadows across his face, "This isn't right."

Zelda turned to face him in surprise, silently encouraging him to continue. He acted as if he hadn't spoken at all however, so she cleared her throat, "What do you mean?" He turned as if he had forgotten she was there, eyes widening the slightest fraction before replying, "The music. It's not right."

Zelda looked at the others in the room; they wore mixed degrees of shock and confusion. Other smashers in the room walked to the window and stood, the crowd of them hovering behind the glass. The air dripped with the disjointed sounds, an out-of-tune music box that looped in sequences, static signaling the beginning of a phrase. Samus whispered something in Falcon's ear and he nodded grimly, the two of them leaving through the black wall.

Someone-Peach, she later discovered- gasped, and Zelda swiveled her head to the screen where the wood underneath Falco started to splinter. Fox saw it first and cried out in warning, but was it too late.

The horrible sound of rotten floorboards splitting echoed across the stage, and Falco only had a second of warning before he dropped through the floor.

He gave a cry and latched onto the edge, splinters dug into his wings and he tried to pull himself up; below him was an endless darkness, the end of the stage. Zelda glanced towards Fox to see what he would do. He had the perfect opening yet he stood with wide eyes, shaking his head before he rose to action.

He got onto his knees and inched across the weak wood to extend a hand to Falco. The bird swatted the arm away only for Fox to try again, insistent. He furrowed his brows, broken tail twitching uselessly behind him and said something that made Falco yell back. Zelda couldn't read animal lips, but by the way Fox's eyes burned she assumed it was something awful.

He lunged forward, all precaution forgotten to haul Falco up by his forearms, the bird hissing and kicking for him to let go. It seemed to go on forever; Fox grunting in pain as Falco's weight tore the scratches on his working arm, Falco struggling until he accepted his fate. It wasn't until they were both safely away from the hole that Zelda allowed herself to breathe.

Beside her, Link only tensed further and leaned in until he was hardly on the couch. When Zelda would look back on it later, she would remember his eyes: the hardened gaze of a man who had seen too much. Only he knew what would happen next.

It happened in a sequence. Fox slowly got to his feet and winced when his dislocated arm was jostled, Falco laying still on the floor. He turned to the bird with a grin on his face, opening his mouth to say what she could only assume would be something sarcastic. He never got to say it.

His head flipped forward when Falco kicked him square in the chest, the impact making an audible _crack_ that sent him careening straight into the pit.

Fox's body fell through the stage floor, past the pillar of earth and into the inky black depths. Eyes closed, he looked asleep except for the line of blood that trickled out of his mouth.

As he fell to his defeat-

He smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

Zelda could remember her first shooting star.

It was with her father and Impa, just the three of them out in the open expanse of Hyrule Field. The night sky was dappled with brilliant stars and the Cheshire grin of the waxing moon above hung over them.

She remembered seeing it: a thin silver streak across the black expanse, lasting the blink of an eye before vanishing without fanfare.

_She had brought her favorite crocheted blanket with her and it draped her small shoulders, scratching the back of her extended neck as she looked for the stars that left tails of silver._

_"Papa, where do the stars go?"_

_Her father lightly chuckled beside her, "The stars don't have a destination, child. They fly."_

She returned to the same spot five months after her father had passed and Impa had left. She stood where she had once sat, without the warmth of her childhood blanket or companions, and waited. Zelda stood there for hours, long into the night looking for the same magic that she had once felt all those years ago. She never found it.

She knew then that her father was wrong. Stars didn't fly.

They fell.

A flash of light, so bright that it burned her retinas, filled the stadium and reality rushed back. Confetti now littered the gray and indistinguishable stage that used to be a dark expanse.

The audience had returned, shocked into silence before a tentative chant of Falco's name was tossed throughout the crowd before it grew, one solid voice of thousands. The bird stood dazed from the sudden praise and he flinched when he was raised on a disk like a trophy.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen, your champion: Falco Lombardi!"_ The crowds grew in confidence and their cheers shook the air as fireworks bloomed in the stadium. Falco's eyes widened as a smile slowly found its way onto his beak before he rose his wings in triumph, shaking his fists with a battle cry.

Link made a sound of disgust and left through the wall. His sudden departure sparked everyone back to life.

"I can't believe...I-" Peach's mouth opened and closed, her face couldn't settle on shock or sorrow and ended up being a mixture of the two.

Mario laid his hand on her shoulder and drew her in, "He'll be okay. He's probably in the infirmary at this moment, and we all know the kind of stuff they have here. Fox'll be up and biting in no time."

Zelda's ears perked at this information. _He'll be okay._ She rose from her spot and stepped lightly to the black wall, placing her hand on the smooth surface.

If what Peach had said before was true, and she believed it was, she should be able to return to the other room with her key. She pulled it out, the comfortable weight resting in her palm before she pressed it against the wall.

It felt as if someone had stuck a thread in her hand and was pulling at it, a string lightly tugging at her skin until the door had finished carving itself out. Zelda glanced at her hand, half expecting to see a needle sticking through. This wall did not run on technology.

Whoever created it, and whenever (for she sensed an ancient power), was gifted with magic. Probably more so than herself.

Zelda stepped through the door and her feet barely made a sound in the chaos of the other room. A slight prickle ran down her spine when a crowd of people, all different sizes and races, surrounded her with rods and flashing lights.

She recognized the Toads, although they looked sickly compared to the others she had seen. There were a few humans and apes, several red lumps with yellow faces. The list only grew stranger after that.

One human, a hairy man that leered down at her shoved a rod in her face. "What are your thoughts on- wait a minute, who the heck are _you_?"

 _The paparazzi._ These must be who Fox was telling her about. She sidestepped them and kept her head down, weaving through the crowds of people while he yelled after her, " _Hey, get back here!_ I wasn't finished-" Someone else must have appeared through the wall for he cut off after that.

Zelda passed Link as he was hounded mercilessly by a small ring of Toads, _"What do you think of the veteran's defeat?"_

_"Will Fox McCloud ever step away from this humiliating defeat?"_

_"What is your relationship status?"_

He looked as stone faced as ever except for the slightest twitch in his eyes. She decided to leave him to his fate and walked on, smiling slightly when she heard one of the Toads yelp in surprise when Link shoved his way through the ring.

She hid behind a large screens floating off to the side. The fight was being played back in different angles and speeds; she cringed slightly when Fox's fall was detailed in slow motion and quickly slipped into the shadows, Melo appearing by her side in the darkness.

"Take me to the infirmary."

* * *

They ran while cloaked in the shadows, through empty corridors and crowded rooms. Every so often they would frighten a passerby with the shift in air and the poor souls would flinch with wide eyes. Melo couldn't stop grinning.

They traveled down deep into the earth before Melo slowed their descent. They were several levels above the living quarters, but not by much. The halls smelled sterile at that point, the air pungent of bleach and other cleaning supplies. Everything was white; the walls, the floors, even the lights. The only door that was open was towards the far end of the hall and it was flooded with a constant stream of white garbed doctors.

Melo pointed to the door and she nodded, the two of them heading down the hall until they hovered outside the doorway. If anything, the smell was even worse. The underlying current of body fluids mixed with the anesthetics and fresh blood was nauseating. The room wasn't much to look at. The walls were plain except for some medical charts and the only sound was the hushed whispering of the medics and a few _beep's_ from a box on a pole.

On the lone bed surrounded by personnel lay Fox, horribly out of place with his bright orange fur. He looked small amongst the bandages and wires attached to him, but he certainly did not look weak. Even in sleep he held a grin.

Zelda and Melo stayed in the shadows and watched for several hours. They watched as the medics hovered around the bed, replacing soiled bandages and ice packs until only one nurse remained, one who had set a tray of food on a small table near the door. Her job finished, she brushed her hands off until she, too, had left.

Once it became apparent that Fox wouldn't wake soon, she nodded to Melo and they crept back towards the door.

"Come on out, don't be shy. I won't bite."

Fox's growling voice filled the sterile air with a surprising strength to it. She turned from Melo who stood in mild shock to the vulpine in the bed. He wasn't looking right at her, but rather around the room, analyzing every crevice of the room with a critical eye.

Zelda held a hand up to Melo and mouthed, _Don't reveal yourself._ He nodded and gave her a thumbs up in response. She stepped out from the shadows and interestingly enough the beeping skipped a beat, Fox's eyes only widening a fraction before he smoothly painted a grin on his face.

"Cool trick, princess. Nice of you to visit me." He patted the chair beside his bed and she sat down silently. He looked around for a while more, frowning before he turned his attention back to her. "To what do I owe this honor?"

She looked at him closely; despite the obvious bandages around his chest and arms, he looked fine. Almost healthy even, as if his wounds were weeks and not hours old. "How do you look so... regular?" He chuckled lightly, though it was tinged with a breathlessness that she didn't like. "The food."

She looked at him oddly and he laughed outright before clutching his chest and pointed at the food near the door. "Could you bring me that? The lady put it completely out of reach." She handed him the plate and he took a chunk of bread roll and swallowed it, a dim swirl of light briefly traveling down his body. His eyes lit up with energy.

"It's medicated. Comes from Kirby's place, I think. Anyways, this stuff will heal up any scar and scrape in just a minute." Zelda glanced at his tail which still hung slightly crooked over the side of his bed. "Even bones?" Fox smiled, "Even bones. Though those take longer, up to days. Point is though, I'll be out of here in no time."

Fox lightly tugged at one of the wires attached to his fur before leaving it, turning his attention to her once again, "But you're not here to talk about my quick recovery, are you?" She marveled how he managed to say it without making it sound like an accusation.

She decided to get right to the point. "What happened out there?"

His face darkened slightly before it settled on a careful neutral, "Out there?" He barked a sharp heavy laugh. "Out there was brawl. People don't come here to make _friends_ , Princess."

"But don't _you_ have friends here? Wasn't Falco once your friend?"

Fox stared at a point on the wall behind her. "He still is."

Zelda leaned in and her voice softened, "Then what happened out there?"

Fox blinked and he smiled; it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm still figuring that out. I'll get back to you on it." Fox stared at her for a few seconds before a lone R.O.B. rolled past the doorway, its black eyes blinking once at them before it continued on its way.

He scoffed and tried to sit up to no avail, it seemed his ribs may have been broken. "He's checking up on lil' ole me already? I feel so lucky." Before she could ask what he meant he cleared his throat impatiently. "The Hand likes to keep tabs on his smashers. Sometimes he pops in, but mostly he uses his spies."

"The R.O.B.?" He nodded his head and she continued, "Yet they mandate the crime on the streets?"

Fox shrugged in response, "Not quite, they're different. The R.O.B are a type of security that are supplied for the main areas of Smash Central. The streets, shopping centers, any place that's crowded. I guess they're similar to your knights or rangers, whatever you have over there." He waved a hand lazily and it plopped back down to his side with a _thump_. "Although they're automated, put on a code." At her look he added, "They don't have a mind of their own."

Looking around the room, he narrowed his eyes. "The tournament is supposed to use the R.O.B for crowd control, and some of them are in use. But there aren't as many R.O.B. as there should be."

"What do you mean?"

Fox lowered his voice and he leaned in, "I mean that the amount of people here could easily warrant the use of a thousand R.O.B., yet there are only, at _most_ , a hundred or so in public." Zelda understood where he was going with this. If there were more R.O.B., Master Hand would have to have them in his possession. And if that was one secret, there were bound to be more.

She had some investigating to do later.

Fox mumbled to himself, "...music." He looked up so fast that he almost knocked heads with her, "Did you hear the music too?"

She nodded and his brow furrowed. "Has that ever happened before?"

Fox shook his head slowly, "Never. Not even before the tournament closed." He laid his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes, sighing deeply. "Probably Master Hand. It's always the Hand."

He looked about ready to pass out, his breathing already steadying. Zelda silently untied the miniature Fox from her belt and placed it beside his pillow, he would find it when he woke up. She rose from her chair and his breath hitched.

"Sheik," Fox sounded timelessly old in that moment. "I don't know what's going on."

She looked back towards the bed but he was already in a deep sleep, soft snores escaping his nose.

Zelda nodded, "I know."


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you certain that you know the way back?"

Melo chuckled. "More certain than anything else."

It was the morning after Fox's fight. They were back in her room, a paper bag filled with stolen food from the kitchens spread out on her bed between them. _"It's not stealing,"_ Melo had said in defense. _"After all, you'll be repaying them later when you save their lives, right?"_ She stayed silent after that; after all, she hadn't eaten a real meal since she had left home.

Zelda knew that it was time to send Melo back to Hyrule. Although the original plan was for him to stay for a few more days, enough had happened in the last 24 hours that Impa would need to be informed of. She would be lying, though, if she said that wasn't her only reason. Zelda couldn't help but feel slightly concerned despite the capable hands Hyrule was in. After all, she had never been so far away from home.

She munched on salted strips of potato while Melo marked the sections he explored on her map. "This is the main training ground for smashers, everybody uses it." He circled an area with a red stick- _marker_ , she was reminded- and pointed to the floor right above it. "If you're interested in the shops, they're right here...although I _have_ heard the prices are outrageous." He frowned and tried to wipe the marker off; to her dismay the red smeared outside of the line marking the Dome's wall.

"Have you any news of Master Hand's room?"

Fox's words from yesterday had disturbed her enough to put some effort in researching Master Hand. In any case, he wasn't a bad lead to go on for her mission.

Melo shook his head, "Couldn't find it anywhere. I didn't have the time to investigate the lower levels though, so it may be there." Zelda hummed in response, the Hand might not even be staying at the Dome. If so, it would make her job that much harder.

"Would you like me to accompany you to the portal?" Melo waved her off; he was already standing at the door with his pack in hand. "No need. I'll see you soon, and hopefully with good news." He chuckled lightly and gave her a thumbs up. She returned it, making him laugh outright before he slipped into the shadows, out the door and into the world beyond.

Zelda had to admit, the room was a little colder without the Sheikah's presence. Deciding that the room was too gloomy for her, she strode out into the hall. A few Toads walked by, some keeping their heads down as they quickly ran by her. ' _What odd creatures,' she_ thought as one squeaked when they accidentally bumped into her.

She got into the elevator and the doors almost closed before someone stuck their hand through. Zelda gasped in alarm and wedged her hands between the doors; surprisingly, they gave way with hardly an ounce of protest.

Zelda followed the freed arm up to the green tunic sleeves, up until she reached a familiar green floppy hat.

"That was _incredibly_ foolish."

It was out before she could stop herself and Link widened his eyes in surprise before shrugging in response.

"…"

"Hmm?"

"...I don't have to use this one, if you wish."

"Ah. No, it's alright." She stepped to the side and he walked in, his heavy boots thumping onto the padded floor of the lift. The doors closed after him and he pressed one of the buttons on the side with a soft _click_.

They both settled into place and immediately the silence between them was claustrophobic. Zelda decided to break it, "...Isn't it strange that these elevators are called 'elevators'? ...Wouldn't it make more sense if they were...called 'lifter boxes'?" She cringed beneath her mask; Melo made it sound so natural whereas she fumbled over every other word.

Link stared her down and she almost found herself shrinking beneath it. He finally turned and faced the closed elevator doors, the light at the top flashing the levels passing by, _11_ , _12, 13..._

"Yeah, I guess so."

He brushed off a few nonexistent specks of dirt from his sleeve and shuffled his feet, appraising her from the corner of his eye. She met his eyes and he turned away, blinking once. "You seem familiar."

Now it was her turn to shuffle her feet, "Really?" He looked at her unimpressed and nodded. Zelda reached towards her belt where the miniature Fox used to be but grasped air before remembering she had returned it. She placed a hand on her hip instead, "I should think anyone from our world would seem familiar at this point." Link waited for several moments before nodding his head slowly, his eyes downcast before he looked back at her, "I suppose."

A _ding_ signaled their stop and the silver doors slid open to a dimly lit room, the sound of sparring echoing from the other side. Link heard it too, for his ears twitched in response before he stepped through the doors and nodded once her way as he left.

"Link," he stopped in his tracks and waited. "What are you doing right now?" Link turned and looked at her oddly, "I'm training. Isn't that why you're here?"

 _The training room._ She stepped into the room and looked more closely. The room was a dark gray and almost completely bare save for the numerous weapons hung on the wall. Some, like the battle axes and daggers, looked barely used and were covered in a fine layer of dust.

Another rack hung beside it, an assortment of peculiar items perched on top. Silver rods, turtle shells, even a tall pink flower were leaning on top of each other. Zelda smiled, Peach's advice would be useful after all.

She didn't really have a destination in mind when she set out, but the training room wasn't a bad idea. She nodded and Link kicked the toe of his boot to the ground, looking around the room once before setting his gaze on her, "...Do you know how to use the room?"

"How to use it...?" she trailed off at the look on his face and he let out a breath of air, "...If you'd like, I could show you." He took several stiff steps before looking over his shoulder to see if she would follow. He relaxed slightly when she did.

He led her to a scratch carved into the middle of the floor; at closer look it was a smaller version of the ones on the stage. A few feet away was another scratch, and another set of them after that. In fact, they lined the room as far as she could see.

Link rested his toes directly on the line and rose both of his hands, palms facing outwards with fingers spread and pushed. His hands pressed up against an invisible wall from where he stood and a blue light flashed between his fingers, dimming to a small glow as the scratch at his feet filled with light. It was like a stream of water slowly building into a river, and the floor pulsed with blue veins before the light rose like vines, forming a wall around them. It was beautiful.

A thin blue light dripped from a line carved in air and the drops slid into place, the lights forming one solid screen. The most fantastical lands were pictured: giant leaves overhanging flooded paths, floating platforms over colorful plazas; each land was completely different from the last. Mesmerized, Zelda reached out to touch a glowing picture of stars before Link grabbed her wrist. "Careful. Anything you touch will become this place."

He let go and she cradled her hand to her chest, eyeing the blue light warily, "What is this?"

"Holograms. They allow you to choose whatever stage you want to train on." So that would explain Fox's and Falco's familiarity with the mansion. She studied the different icons; in that case, any of these places could be her next battle ground. "Which one do you usually choose?" Link took a step forward and hovered a hand over the blue light, "Jungle Japes." Zelda scanned the menu but the titles weren't listed. After going through the list twice with no luck, she turned towards him. "Which one is it?"

He shook his head, "No, it's too dangerous for someone who's never been on it. Try that one," he pointed towards a flat land with a small tree in the center. She scoffed, something she only saved for the particularly stupid nobles. "By that logic, I'll never go on it at all. Would you have chosen it if I weren't here?" He nodded unabashedly and she smiled beneath her face wraps, "Then choose it and we shall go together."

She knew that he could easily prohibit her from coming; after all, she was the one who interrupted his training. He looked at her and she knew that he was thinking the same thing. But Link shifted his gaze to the menu and pressed his hand against it, "As you wish."

Light erupted from the menu where his palm had fallen and a fierce gale beat at their clothes. She closed her eyes and blocked against the blast as the gale lifted them, and the blue light burned against her eyelids until a shock of white flashed. A moment later the roar of rapids flooded her eardrums. "Open your eyes," his voice lifted over the roar and she complied.

Zelda saw a paradise.

Everything was cast in a warm glow from the orange setting sun. They were standing on a rickety wooden platform in the middle of a forest, although the trees were waxy and had more vines than leaves. It was a jungle, the kind she had only seen in children's books imported from far away lands.

Two other platforms sided hers on thin beams and she hoped it was just her imagination when one of them tilted lightly to the left. The angry river below spat spray onto her face and she backed away from the edge; it was easy to see that the current was strong enough to sweep her away.

A warm breeze tossed her braid as she watched Link sit at the edge of the platform, his feet dangling off the edge while his arms rested on the frayed rope that strung them in. Zelda turned towards the shack that rested behind her on the platform. The light was on inside and shadows- _someone_ -crept by the window. She rapped her knuckle on the glass and blue light spread out from beneath her hand before fading into the surface.

"None of this is real," Link had to yell to be heard over the fury of the rapid. "I've tried before, but it's fake!" Zelda looked back at him, "Even the water?" The glow from the sun made the water burn like fire and she stared at it through the wooden planks. Link nodded and she crept to where he sat, the wood creaking in protest against her weight.

A comfortable silence fell upon them that was interrupted only by the splashes from below. A sudden thought occurred to her, "How do we leave?" There were no doors in the middle of a jungle, fake or not, and she couldn't sense any trickle of magic that signaled a portal. Link stood, "I set the room to stock. The sensors will bring us back when one of us falls."

_Oh._

Zelda stared at the rapid below where their watery reflections wavered with the current; it seemed she was doomed to jump off of what no sane person would ever jump from. But Link stepped to the edge before she could move and hovered a foot over the water, his face betraying no fear against the sloshing current below.

He started to lean forward before his eyes shot to the other side of the rapid and he slowly placed both feet back onto the ledge with a frown. She followed his gaze; off to the distance a tree was ripped in the middle, the very fabric of space ripped open where blue light filtered through.

 _"What...?"_ She began and stepped forward before it felt as if a large hand were yanking her up by her braid. She cried out in pain and beside her she could hear Link do the same. Blue light rushed past her and in an instant they were back inside the training room, Falcon and a large metallic beast waiting for them outside of the scratch on the floor.

Zelda's legs gave out and she fell to the floor clutching her head; it felt as if it had split apart and was sewing itself back together. "Sheik," Falcon greeted. "We were looking for you."

He offered a hand and she took it, shakily getting back to her feet. Link slowly stood and rubbed his head before glaring at Falcon. "Sorry about the interruption. It won't happen again," the captain said, she was surprised at how serious he managed to sound despite his flashy costume.

Link stared at him in silence before he turned and started up the blue menu once again. Falcon tugged at her arm and muttered, "Come on, let's go." She looked at him oddly, "At this moment?" But he had already begun to walk away, the metal beast giving a series of beeps before Zelda followed him slowly. She hesitated, _'It's rude to leave without saying goodbye.'_

She looked over her shoulder in time to see Link touch the light, and he turned as the floor and walls began to glow. She bowed to him like any Sheikah would, hoping that he would understand the gesture. But when she rose she was surprised to see Link return the bow with a fist over his heart mirroring her own. He lifted his head and met her eyes as the vine of lights braided together, and before the wall completely closed he smiled.

It wasn't the same one she had seen him give Midna before she left, nor the reassuring one Zelda herself received during the fight with Ganondorf. Rather, it was a small twitch at the corner of his mouth, and from any other it would have seemed pitifully sad. But on him, it fit.

Once he was was hidden from view by the light, she turned to find the metal beast waiting for her near the elevator. It gave a jumble of beeps that sounded vaguely annoyed before leading her off to a doorway that she hadn't noticed before, the conjoined room a mirror image of the one preceding it. Falcon immediately rushed to her side.

"What-!" He bellowed, his face red before the metal beast beeped once and he visibly strained to calm himself. "What," he took a deep breath, "is wrong with you? I mean, Fox made you out to be smart, _intelligent_ even." He ran a hand down his face and paced in front of her. "Look," he held up a hand when she began to talk, "we're just looking out for you. You seem like a nice kid," Falcon trailed off before looking to the beast. "Right? She's just a kid." He fixed his narrowed eyes on her, "how old are you anyways?"

She didn't see the point but answered him anyways, "I will be nineteen years in a month's time." Falcon stopped in his steps and stared at her with an unreadable expression before continuing to pace. "Nineteen, young but not the youngest." The metal beast beeped from its place by the wall and Falcon nodded in agreement, "But young enough to worry about."

"Falcon, what are you going on about?" She frowned, none of this was making any sense. His face darkened, "Link isn't good, Sheik." Zelda folded her arms and leaned back, appraising the odd pair: Falcon pacing at odd intervals, the metal beast towering over them in the corner.

"Please elaborate."

He took a step towards her, "Hey, you haven't seen him fight yet. There's a fine line between competition and blood lust, anyone can see that." He stopped for a moment and seemed at war with himself before he clenched his fists, "Yeah. Yeah, I think..." He muttered before taking a deep breath and straightened, "There's something I think you should see." He strode back through the doorway to the previous training room and Zelda had no choice but to follow. The solid blue light that hid Link from view took up nearly half the room and the scratches on the floor pulsed with the glow.

Falcon pressed the wall of light and a menu popped up. He began to tap a series of icons and buttons and every time his hand came into contact with the light a hologram would float within arm's reach. When there were dozens of holograms hovering around, he motioned for her to take a step back and he outstretched his arms, gathering the light into his palms before he flung them out into the room.

Webs of light strung between them like spiderwebs, weaving and connecting until one large screen was formed. Link was back on Jungle Japes, except he wasn't alone. A solid silver man was fighting him. He held a long sword in hand and gleamed from the elaborate cape clasped at his shoulders.

"What...is that?"

"It's a clone. Marth's, to be exact. You will have one once you've been assessed by your first battle." It wasn't Falcon who answered her but rather a familiar low woman's voice. Samus was encased in the metal beast's body and had its head tucked underneath the massive arm. At Zelda's incredulous look Falcon explained, "That's Samus's Power Suit, aptly named if I may add."

The stage was different despite it being the same one she was on not even half an hour before. There were alligators, bulked and heavily scaled, diving out of the rapid every seven seconds as an attempt to take a bite out of the smashers. The current was even rougher than before; Link must have altered the stage. But those were not the most drastic of changes.

Link fought with a ferocity that she hadn't ever seen in him before. He sliced a good chunk out of metal Marth's chest and sparks flew from the impact. The metal swordsman rebounded without an inch of pain and jumped off of the shack, getting enough speed to barrel into Link to send him tumbling off the edge. But Link grapple hooked to safety, and without wasting speed or energy he thrust the Master Sword into the clone's chest, slicing it cleanly in half.

All of this happened in under five seconds.

"Now I'm not one to judge. 'To each their own' is something I live by, you know? But this," Falcon pointed to where Link dived for a newly spawned clone, "this is something different. This is dangerous."

"Who are you to judge? Do not pretend to know what this man has faced." She tried to say it with confidence but even she was hesitant. She hadn't known him. Besides, she had spoken to war veterans before, had seen the hole in their hearts from battle. Who knew how much Link had changed from of the war? She watched as he sliced off the clone's arms and as the view panned over his face was shown in clear view. It twisted into a furious rage and he aimed for the neck, lopping off the clone's head. He _grinned._

Zelda shuddered beneath her wrappings, what happened to the hero? Falcon appeared at her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry," he said softly, "you guys are from the same world, aren't you?" She nodded dazed as Link finished stabbing another clone through the gut. "I didn't want to show you this to frighten you, but to warn you. He isn't like this off the battlefield. He's not exactly your social butterfly, but he doesn't try to rip your head off every second. But the thing is," he lightly turned her away from the screen, "Link is hardly ever off the battlefield."

It struck her odd that he should be so concerned. "Why do you care of my fate?" She looked from Falcon to Samus, "I am but a rookie, of no importance to this tournament. I should hardly be at the top of your worries."

Falcon was silent for a moment before he smiled, "Fox cares for you, and if Fox cares, so do we." He gestured towards Samus who nodded, her face completely void of the passion that filled Falcon's voice. "Just please be careful."

Zelda waited a moment before nodding, "I will be." Falcon beamed at her, apparently glad that she would stay away from danger. Except that she wouldn't be. Zelda was already formulating plans on how to track down Master Hand's lair quickly and efficiently, on how to study the new technology she found herself in the middle of.

She eyed the room of light; it would be some time before she could figure out how to increase the level of difficulty for the stages, but she would manage. Zelda watched as Link stood at the edge of the rickety platform on the screen, his fight apparently finished. When he gazed upon the fury of the rapid below, his distorted mirrored self flickering in the white wash, she sighed.

No, it seemed she would not be staying away from danger.

She was running straight at it.


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the week found Zelda dizzied and dazzled.

She spent her time wandering the halls, marking the noteworthy rooms on her map as she passed by. Bathrooms, common rooms, even another dining room were laid throughout the Dome, though her favorite had to be the garden. The most brilliant and brightest of flowers were found there, and although she still had more smashers to meet, she found herself lounging amongst the colorful petals too often to be deemed wise.

The garden was a weaving thing, captured in a round hallway of a room that flowed throughout a complete floor of the mansion. She found it completely by accident, entering what she thought was another bathroom when it was actually a world of its own. Small streams and glass walls divided it, and the odd butterfly or two would flutter lazily around her head; the nature of it was sublime.

Despite her search, she couldn't find any hint of where Master Hand's lair would be. This left her in a sort of tiff and Fox wouldn't hesitate to point it out to her whenever she visited, _"Don't get your tiara in a bunch, Princess."_

This was where she found herself now, far from the gardens and deep in the infirmary, rooted in an uncomfortable plastic chair planted at Fox's bedside. The vulpine had improved at considerable pace and was easily well enough to leave; she had a feeling he only stayed for the service. He insisted it was pride. "After all," he explained with a flourish of mock dignity, "I can't let the others see _this_." He pointed to his tail which was still bent to the side.

Zelda stifled a laugh before sobering. "Do you not find it odd? Not one person here has the slightest inkling of where the Hand may reside. It's as if he vanishes at night." It was true; while she hadn't met with the other smashers, Zelda had gone out of her way to speak with some of the employees. Most of them were Toads and they had waved off her questions with hasty side-glances or a shake of the head. She didn't pretend to know anything about Toads, ' _Is that a hat or their_ actual _head?',_ but she knew fishy behavior when she saw it.

"Just let it be. Maybe he returns to a giant arm at night, who knows?" Fox shrugged, seemingly uncaring if not for the glimmer that passed his eyes. She opened her mouth to reply before she was interrupted by a knock on the open door.

Peach stood in the doorway, clad in the same pink dress Zelda met her in and smiled dazzlingly when she had their attention. "Oh, hello! I didn't know you had a guest, Fox."

The vulpine grinned and waved her in, "Yeah. Princess has been keeping little ole' me some company." She walked to his bed with a slight bounce in her step and curtsied before turning her attention to Zelda, a curiosity bubbling off her.

"Why, Sheik! I haven't seen you for several days now, not since your first brawl! Well, not yours, exactly…" an uncomfortable pause filled the space as she looked for a different topic; no one needed a reminder of why they were in the infirmary in the first place. "...Have you settled in nicely?" Zelda nodded and Peach gasped in delight, "What's your favorite part of the city?"

She continued before Zelda could respond, "Dream Land's Café, Metroid Shooters..." she trailed off after noticing Zelda's blank stare. "Not even Delfino Plaza's replica? Fox!" She whipped her head around so fast that a blob of hair flew into Zelda's face, and Fox cringed when Peach's fury focused on him. "You haven't shown her around the city yet?!"

"Uh-"

Peach took a sharp breath and slowly faced Zelda, her eyes comically wide with a smile so big it had to be painful. "I could show you...Yes, it will be so _very_ pleasant!" She clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side, a giggle chiming out of her mouth. "Why hadn't I thought of this before...?"

As she tapped a finger to her chin in wonder, Fox recovered from the outburst and grinned at Zelda. "By the way, didn't your parents ever tell you that it's rude to return a gift?"

He rustled through one of his pockets below the sheets before pulling out a familiar little fox, its tail straight and puffed compared to the real thing. He held it out in his palm to Zelda and she reached for it before hesitating. "But isn't this your good luck charm?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I have plenty of luck, just thought I'd share it. I'm generous that way." Zelda took it and tied it to her belt, and if she hadn't been paying attention she would've missed the way Peach stared at it, her bright eyes hardening for the slightest second before giggling.

"Well, I say we go! The earlier we leave, the longer we can stay out!" The minute change was so sudden that Zelda wasn't sure if she had imagined it.

Peach hooked arms with her and they walked to the door as Fox called from behind them, "Oh, and Princess? Don't try the curry." Peach huffed as he cackled at his own joke and led Zelda out into the hall.

"Honestly," she said. "It's not that hot. I'm _certain_ you'll enjoy Dream Land's Cafe."

They barely made it out of the corridor before someone interrupted them again. Captain Falcon, Samus, Mario and Ike were making there way down the hall, Samus being the only one out of her uniform. The dull gray of her sweats and T-shirt clashed awfully beside Falcon's yellow and blue.

"Hey! What are you guys up to?" Falcon's voice was naturally loud and it carried down the hallway, Samus's eye twitched at the sound. Mario made his way over to Peach and she beamed at him, earning a rosy blush from the plumber in return.

"Sheik and I are going out to the city!" Peach nudged Zelda and smiled before her face fell, "Fox, the furry fool, hasn't so much as taken her outside of the Dome." Zelda could have mentioned that she had no real desire or need to even leave the building yet, and that it wasn't so much as Fox's job to drag her around, but held her tongue. She didn't want to risk the wrath of Peach.

"Ah, I see," Falcon studied Zelda from behind his mask before blinking, the whites of his eyes flashing once. "We're seeing the furry fool today. Checking up on his health, but more likely his stupidity." He flashed a cheeky grin, "Gotta keep a check on stupidity, you know?"

He laughed even though he was the only one, Ike and Samus standing in silence at his shoulder while Mario fawned over Peach. Falcon suddenly turned heel and called over his shoulder, "Well, best let you two get to it. Have fun in the city!"

They waved their goodbyes and Peach dragged Zelda down along the corridor, and it was only until the two were completely out of the hallway did Zelda hear the soft _click_ of Fox's door shutting behind its guests _._

* * *

_"'Ey, toots! Over here!"_

Darting eyes underneath thick coats called to them, grizzly muzzles with crooked teeth jeered and hollered. Peach made a sound of disgust when one reached for her dress and she hit him over the head with a frying pan before continuing on the cracked pavement of the sidewalk, her pink heels carefully sidestepping any potential breaks. There was a light drizzle in the morning and the streets were dabbled with puddles and streams from overflowing gutters in response. Peach had pulled out her parasol long ago and twirled it in the rain, the resulting droplets spinning and splashing onto Zelda's face.

She didn't mind, though. The air, though not as fresh as Hyrule, was blissfully clear compared to the Dome. She hadn't realized how stifling it was until she had left the wonders of the Smash tournament. However, the city wasn't without its own breathtaking qualities. Gray buildings scraped the sky, so tall they were that even the birds couldn't reach them. The dreary clouds and streets were painted with lights from the city, like flickering candles in pools of water.

In the rain, Smash Center was even more beautiful.

"Don't you just love the rain?" Peach cheerfully kicked a few pebbles out of her way before glaring at a toothless man who cackled as they passed.

Zelda glanced at him wearily before nodding, "Yes, it's quite refreshing."

"Is it different?" The drizzle had become a heavier _pitter patter_ on the streets and they picked up their pace.

"I'm sorry?" Zelda glanced at the princess whose face had taken on a nostalgic look.

"Is the rain different in Hyrule?" The rain? It was probably the most familiar to her home, and she told her as such.

Peach continued with a sad sort of smile, "From what I remember, Mushroom Kingdom didn't rain like this. It was lighter, cleaner."

' _That's true.'_ Hyrule rained often and plenty, so much that some of the lowlands would flood in the springtime. But it was still fresh compared to the staleness of this downpour. That wasn't the most cheerful of thoughts. Zelda stopped for a moment and Peach trekked on, oblivious to the fact that she was alone. ' _From what I remember...?'_

Zelda caught up to her in long strides and grabbed her shoulder, "When was the last time you visited your kingdom?"

Peach scanned the buildings with an exaggerated interest before meeting her gaze, her mouth quirked to the side. "It's been too long, I suppose. I wasn't all that prepared for sponsoring."

"What do you mean?"

The heavens had split open by now and a torrential downpour assaulted the streets, the water frigid and heavy. Civilians ran inside; those who hadn't already pulled out umbrellas and huddled beneath them. Zelda and Peach stood still beneath the rain, the wash poured off of her parasol and drenching the hem of her dress.

"I'm a sponsor for the tournament. Hasn't anyone told you?" At Peach's tilted head, Zelda shrugged. The overabundance of Toads, the flashing mushroom logo at the bottom of the battle screen; it explained a few things.

"I supply money and helpers, whatever's needed. Come and we can finish this thought inside, we're almost there. Plus, my feet are freezing." Peach shook a foot for emphasis before hooking her arm securely in Zelda's, leading her along the cracked, glistening pavement until they reached a stacked building that was outlined in a hazy violet glow. Neon wire wrapped itself into a scrawling script that read _Dream Land's Café_ on the front, the _é_ flickering in time with the raindrops pouring from the gutters.

"This is it," Peach clasped her hands together. "Lunch!"

* * *

The heavy wooden door creaked open in protest and a cloud of glitter fell upon Zelda's feet in its wake. The café was shrouded in a heavy musk, dimly lit by the violet-tinted light bulbs that hung low from the ceiling, and the scent of an unmistakable bitterness wafted from the drinks set out on the tables.

Surprisingly, there was a little bit of everything at Dream Land's Café. While there were several shady characters in too-large overcoats and hats, there were the familiar Toads and even a few humans. It was a large place; easy to see from the many hidden crannies and entrances that people kept appearing from, yet it seemed cramped from the amount of tables and chairs that were crammed in one space.

What took up the majority of the room was the fountain. All of the violet light seemed to radiate from its center, veils of water streaming from the edges into the pool at its base. At the top was a glittering golden star that sprinkled glitter in puffs, a bubble or two escaping every so often in wobbly glistening orbs.

The fountain, _Fountain of Dreams_ carved onto a golden plaque on the front, was marvelous at a glance. It was clearly the main attraction with tiny streams lacing from the base to weave between tables and along the walls, and splotches of light twinkled off of the water to reflect off of the walls, making the room look like a cavern from inside Zora's Domain.

But that was where the beauty ended. The cheap plaster flaked bits onto the ground and the wires poked out from underneath, and they sparked slightly when droplets of water sprayed onto them. They flickered like the fiery veins of a dying heart, fighting for each beat but ultimately losing against the war of time and decay.

At the bar were at least a dozen scaly lizard creatures downing bubbling magenta fizz, the shortest one of the bunch tipping off of his stool to the amusement of others. His drink- _was it glowing, or was that just her imagination?-_ spilled onto ground and she followed its trail beneath the counter.

The dark tiled floors managed to be slippery and sticky at the same time, and when she looked closer she managed to see traces of crimson stains splattered against the dirt and fizzy drink.

She decided not to focus on the details after that.

Peach looped around crusted booths and equally crusty waiters until they found a secluded table in the corner. Peach sat down and tapped the peeling surface with excitement, a silent invitation to sit down. The only thing Zelda wanted to do was pry her hands off of the disgusting thing- _gloved or not, no one should be touching that!_ \- but she sat down nonetheless.

"So," was the first thing out of Peach's mouth once she sat down. "What do you think?" The princess waited with barely contained fervor in the seconds that Zelda scrounged for a reply.

 _'I think it's horrid.'_ "The decorum is rather...fascinating." Peach's resulting girlish squeal attracted the curious gazes of nearby diners, and she waved happily at them until they turned around once more. Her grin almost split her face in two.

"I must admit that you had me worried for a moment! Not many are fond of this place," she gestured around the room and pouted, "but I absolutely adore it!" A waiter came by with two pink crystalline glasses of water and Zelda nodded her thanks, Peach whispering behind her hand to him while casting her a sly glance.

Once he left, she folded her hands in her lap, leaning in as if sharing a secret. "This used to be a part of the stage selection back at the Dome, believe it or not."

"Is that so?" It hardly looked like a place for fighting, but then again _Luigi's Mansion_ wasn't her idea of a battle ground either.

"Why, yes! It was years ago. I wasn't here of course, but there were only twelve stages back then. Most of them have been torn down by now to make room for other things, but someone thought _Fountain of Dreams_ had to be preserved. I'm not sure the preserving aspect worked out in the end," Peach grimaced at the peeling paint and wires,"but at least it's still here."

So one of the stages used to be in another part of the city? "Does that mean the tournament building was moved?" The buildings surrounding the café didn't look as if they belonged in a fighting arena, but what did she know? Zelda couldn't see the difference before.

Peach's face turned thoughtful, "You know, I hadn't really thought of it before. Perhaps, but don't you think it awful work to move everything over to the other side of town? Maybe the fighters just walked to each stage and Master Hand wanted to contain it better?" Peach stopped for a moment before continuing, slower than before, "I know that it's probably helped business for both parties."

"Both parties?"

Peach sipped from her water, "Yes, the city and the tournament." A spark from one of the wires beside their table hovered near Peach's hair and she blew it away before smiling, "In either case, we get to enjoy lunch together, as do the rest of these people."

From the look of the other occupants, namely the numerous bodies passed out on the tiles with bottles littering the floors, it didn't look as if they were enjoying lunch. But Zelda nodded anyways.

"And now we have the new stages!" Peach clasped her hands together in delight before her face fell, "Though not all are very delightful. You remember the one, Fox's..." At Zelda's nod she continued, "Mario has a brother, Luigi. He...he isn't doing so well. He's always been a sweet man, but he's delicate in ways that his brother isn't."

Peach lowered her voice and shuddered, "That horrid, _grimy_ mansion was something he had to go through. And, well...Master Hand deemed it perfect for the public's entertainment." She finished with a sigh, "Mario was so angry. I haven't seen him like that in ages." She fixed her gaze somewhere past Zelda's shoulder before sitting up straight and fast, her bright blue eyes widening comically, "Oh, listen to me! What a dimsy downer, goodness- Mario would shake his head right now if he knew. And I have hardly let you speak!"

Zelda, who had settled into a pleasant peace at Peach's talking, blinked in surprise when white gloves gripped her own finger-less ones. "Tell me, do you prefer the color blue, or is that just something your people wear?" She must have been joking, _had_ to have been, but Zelda could only sense an urgency behind her words.

"Both, I suppose..." Zelda trailed off and watched as Peach slumped against the back of her chair, the position completely unladylike and unfit for royalty.

"I did it," she giggled breathlessly, "I learned something new about the elusive Sheik." She brushed a strand of golden hair from her face and laughed at Zelda's wide eyes. "You're a bit of an enigma to the others, you see. I could see it in their eyes, they didn't believe it when I said we were going to the city together."

She was talking about Falcon and the others, Zelda realized. "But we've proven them wrong, I believe. And I believe that we'll become great friends someday." Peach sipped at her water and went on to change the subject expertly.

"Mario thinks me silly, he _must_ by the glances he gives me, but he doesn't get it." Zelda leaned in appropriately at Peach's stream of words, "He's been everywhere, has seen everything, but I haven't. I mean," she giggled, "until now. Now, I can see a fragment of what he has seen. And that, Sheik, is simply incredible. An opportunity that I don't want to waste."

Peach, satisfied with her explanation, had begun to unfold her napkin before she looked up shyly. "That's why I joined, I guess. To get out in the open world." She paused, pursing her lips before adding, "worlds, I suppose. My, what a strange thing we've found ourselves in the midst of!"

She giggled behind her hand as if the idea of it was a joke and Zelda smiled in response. "That is a brave path you've taken. 'To see new worlds', very admirable indeed."

Peach beamed before tilting her head to the side. "And why did you join the tournament?"

Why? To save her country and people. _'Possibly Peach's people as well,"_ she added, though she couldn't very well say any of that. Zelda shifted in her chair, the pink leather seat squeaking in protest, "I thought it would be a chance to hone my skill."

"Hmm..." Peach leaned forward in interest and placed her chin on her hands, a few blond hairs dusting the backs of her fingers. "And what is your skill?"

"Blending in," Zelda drew out the words with a dry interest.

Peach blinked before throwing her head back in laughter, clutching her sides in an attempt to quell it before failing miserably and settled on hiccuped gasps for air as Zelda sat and tried to ignore the awkward stares they received.

"One could only wish!" Peach strangled out between her laughter, "But that's hardly ever the case in our business. We're doomed to shine, destined to to be seen and heard by all worlds."

 _'That was... rather poetic,'_ Zelda thought. "Oh? And for how long should that be your doom and destiny, Peach?" She said it in jest, for she was certain Peach was in a lighthearted mood and didn't mean anything by it. Who else would laugh their way through telling someone that? And yet Peach's face became lined with severity, and she looked awfully old in that moment.

"As long as it must," the princess answered with a finality. They stared at one another and Zelda was saved from replying by the waiter bringing their food.

"Here you are, madames. Two Superspicy Currys, enjoy." The waiter, now that Zelda looked closer, seemed awfully familiar. She didn't recognize his voice, but the way his eyes moved across them as he placed their food down was something reminded her of someone. He met her gaze and lowered his head, and she looked away as Peach thanked him.

"Well," Peach breathed before her lips twitched into a grin, "I say we enjoy this meal." She picked up her spoon and Zelda followed before remembering something vital.

Her mask.

She had been wearing it everyday, every moment that a part of her forgot about it. Her fingers twitched around the spoon and Peach looked at her concerned, "Is there something wrong?"

 _'Yes',_ she thought, _'My face.'_ A simple charm would have to do, she decided. Zelda focused on her lips and nose, enlarging them slightly to look more like Impa's. The thought occurred to her that she should have done that from the start, but she dismissed it. Maintaining pigment charms was simple, child's play. Manipulating facial structures was another thing entirely.

"Ah, no. I was just saying prayer." Peach nodded understandingly and Zelda pulled down her wraps to leave them hanging at her neck. Scooping a spoonful of curry into her mouth, she realized her error too soon.

Honestly, if she were watching her, Zelda would've noticed the mischievous glint in the princess's eye. Peach was too obvious, after all. But she didn't watch, and she ate instead.

Zelda was on fire.

Steam poured out of her nose and ears, and tears streamed down her face like the Zora River. She made a noise between a yelp and a curse, and it was only years of drinking Gerudo Flower that kept her from spitting. Zelda glared in with blurry eyes while Peach cackled in delight, her own curry set aside.

"You, my dear," Peach sputtered, "are too much fun! We must do this more often!"

* * *

It was still raining by the time they left the café.

Peach took turns skipping and hobbling down the streets in her heels with Zelda in tow, and it was only when they reached the Dome that Peach slowed.

"But why this shape?"

They took to comparing their own worlds to Smash Center, and what they kept returning to was the size of everything. "By what it sounds like, my world seems more advanced than yours technologically," Peach pointed out and Zelda nodded grudgingly. It was true; Peach spoke of trains and "motorbikes", whereas her people were still working on capturing light like how this realm seemed to manage.

Peach gestured to the shining silver Dome, "But my world doesn't have buildings _this_ big, or this strange. I suppose it's to grab attention, isn't it?" They made their way through the entrance and Peach began a lengthy argument about shapes and architecture when they were stopped.

"Uh, excuse me Princess...?"

It was a Toad, and a young one by the looks of it. "Yes, dear?" Peach effortlessly pulled a diplomatic smile onto her face, impressive by Zelda's standards.

"It's for her." The Toad handed Zelda a black matte envelope, slightly larger than her own hand and half as thick as her thumb. She tilted it to look at the back and the light caught the glossy Smash logo on the front, a mirage of color streaming off the surface in the movement. The Toad scurried away and it was just her and Peach standing together, the hundreds of employees and tourists rushing to their own activities.

"Oh my."

Peach stared down at the envelope and Zelda gave her a look. "What is it?"

Peach folded her hands but didn't move her gaze, "Open it."

The black tab gave way smoothly, not even partially tearing. The paper inside was crisp and matte, the letters an elegant scrawl that only showed when turned the right way. Ah, she thought. This did warrant an _oh my_.

_Sheik of Hyrule,_

_You are hereby scheduled to brawl in three days time._


	10. Chapter 10

Zelda still clutched the black envelope when they returned to the infirmary.

Peach had hustled her down the halls once she got over the surprise, clucking _"He'll want to know right away!"_ and later, assuredly, _"He'll have all the tips and tricks. Fox is one of the best brawlers, trust me."_ She wanted to, really. Except for the fact that she didn't have anyone to compare him with and he had lost horribly days before.

Zelda looked to where her letter was now in Fox's paw. He turned it from side to side and when the Smash logo flashed in the light she felt the knot in her stomach tighten.

_'You are hereby scheduled to brawl in three days time...'_

Soon, it would be her on that stage, battling in front of the thousands. Was she ready? Certainly she had enough training to keep her dignity, but the cynical voice inside her mind hissed and nagged, pulling at the knot in her stomach. ' _You will fall...'_ She shook her head from the thought and focused on what Peach was muttering.

"It's a bit early, isn't it?"

The princess had seated herself in the plastic chair that Zelda sat in only hours before, her hands folded primly before her with perfect poise. She hadn't moved an inch from when she claimed the seat that Samus had vacated.

When they had reached Fox's room, Captain Falcon and the others were still there. They had surrounded Fox's bed with plastic chairs, and a makeshift table was crafted in the center of their circle. Samus was gesturing toward what looked like a map of the Dome with careful precision when Peach barged in, Zelda trailing quietly behind. It was obvious that they had walked in on something important and Zelda almost regretted it when Fox shooed them out once he saw the envelope. A few questions rose in her at Fox's promise that they would continue the group's talk the next day, but they were soon forgotten when he began to examine the envelope.

Fox, who had been mostly quiet as Peach rambled, shook his head slowly before leaning his head back on the pillow that adorned his hospital bed. "Nothing's too early for the Hand. What do you think, Princess?"

It was the first time either of them had addressed her since they stepped into the room and Zelda turned her head to him in response. "I think it was due."

Fox barked a laugh and Peach jumped in surprise. "A weird way of saying you're ready, but I'll take it. I think I'm ready to know who you're fighting."

He removed one of his gloves and sheathed a claw before raising an eyebrow in question to Zelda and she nodded, watching as he carefully made an incision around the Smash logo. "It's to ensure that no third party gets a hold of the information, top secret," he explained. "Only brawlers are supposed to know about this, so keep it a secret, 'kay?" He winked before popping off the glossy circle and the layer of paper was revealed underneath.

In a silver scrawl were two lazy S's, one looping over the other in a thin scratch. Below the signature was the same fox that was engraved on the door beside her room, curved in mid-leap. Fox whistled low, "Solid Snake."

Peach leaned forward from her chair and placed her hands over the crystal brooch on the front of her dress, "A shady character, that one. Mysterious." She furrowed her brow before adding, "He's an explosives specialist, right?"

Fox nodded and closed his eyes, tilting his head back as if he were looking at the sky. "Yeah."

"Who is he?" The two both tilted their heads towards Zelda, "Is he some sort of reptile?"

Fox grinned, "Nah, he kinda looks like you. Except for the ears," he amended, absently flicking one of his own orange tipped ones. "Eyes that follow everything, hideous mullet. Extremely tight body suit that no man should be seen in. But don't underestimate him, the guy's strong."

She could picture him in her mind, the man she ran into in the dining room on her first night. Zelda remembered the way he seemed to follow her every move, he was sure to be quick. _'Most likely some form of assassin or kingsman.'_ That sort of awareness didn't come from the average knight's training.

"First things first: what are your strengths?" The bed creaked and she watched as Fox painstakingly lifted himself up until he was sitting upright and swung his bare feet to the ground. Fox pulled his glove on and Peach sat at his side waiting in silence; Zelda found herself sitting up straighter at their attention.

"I have been trained by the most formidable of my kind to excel in the arts of blending and control-"

Fox waved a hand in annoyance, "Blegh. What are you even saying? Speak like you're talking to a friend." At her silence he frowned, "Alright, speak plainly."

"I'm fast," Zelda began slowly, "and I have good aim. I don't use explosives, but I do have a few deku nuts."

Fox made a sound in the back of his throat, "So this is what we're going to do. Tomorrow, let's see your moves in action at the Training Room. But tonight I think we should work on your personality."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Brawlers rely heavily on viewers," Peach smiled softly. "I suppose you could call them sponsors, but they're really fans. Citizens are invited to buy support for their favorites in the form of stickers that emphasize your strengths and decrease your weaknesses. You don't actually wear the stickers, goodness no!" She giggled when Fox gave her a look, "But they're activated somehow when you step on stage. The process is a little beyond me, I'm not sure how we do it."

"Like Peach said," Fox gestured towards the princess, "your fans have the power to aid you with stickers. Now, since your dimension isn't the most advanced, your own people won't be able to support you. That puts you at a disadvantage to other brawlers."

"Like Snake."

Fox nodded and grinned approvingly, "Like Snake. Which is why we need to work on making you likable." He grimaced at his own words and Zelda arched a brow. "Listen, Princess. I like you. And so does Peach." The blond nodded enthusiastically from her perch. "But that crowd out there? You have only your introduction on stage to win them to your side. After your first fight, you'll have more opportunity. But right now, well..." He trailed off before frowning, "You're as dry as a raisin."

Annoyance pricked behind her eyes but Zelda ignored it. Her personality was fine. She couldn't very well prance around with all the dignity of a dandelion, she was a _Harkinian_. A Hyrule _Queen_. _'But they won't know that.'_ To them she was but another in the crowd, interesting only by her red eyes and mask. Once the audience got over that, she wouldn't have much, if anything, going for her.

Zelda sighed, it was true. From her father's death to the invasion, she hadn't had much time to work on anything but her rule. She hadn't needed to, really. Her subjects and allies scrambled to her side for her power, and those who disliked her were either not a problem or rooted out and dealt with.

Peach scoffed and hit Fox in the shoulder, her blond eyebrows lifted in disbelief, "'Dry as a raisin'? Sheik is fun!" Fox shrugged in response but kept his gaze on Zelda, blue eyes glinted with a hint of mischief and something else. ' _Hope'_ , Zelda realized. He smiled when he knew what she would say a second before she said it.

"Fresh me up, then." And she meant it.

* * *

They were three hours into training and Zelda had barely managed to earn Fox's nod of approval.

She would be interviewed the moment after her brawl, unless her state of health prevented it- _"Let's hope that's not the case,"_ Peach whispered to Fox, though Zelda was able to overhear-and she needed to be ready for anything too intrusive.

"Where are you from?" The easiest questions would come first, they told her. That way, the harder ones would catch her off guard.

 _A question of origin, answer simply._ "The Kingdom of Hyrule, a rather medieval setting compared to this dimension."

"How are you settling in at the tournament?"

 _Cue laugh._ "It's been a very different experience for me, but an exciting one. I'm sure I will settle in nicely, though."

"And how does it feel to participate in the first brawl since the All-Star Fox McCloud's infamous defeat?" She hesitated. "They'll ask it anyway," Fox added, shrugging with indifference. "Just speak your mind, princess," he winked.

"I am honored to fight in that battle's shadow." She smiled at Fox's unreadable face. She could imagine Impa's eye roll at the statement, _"You always know how to win them over, my sweet."_ How she missed her.

"Your posture is lovely," Peach supplied and strolled around the infirmary, stroking her chin with a curious glance. "Just as nice as mine, I would say."

"And," she continued when Fox opened his mouth, "All of your answers are careful and precise, something the media will have a hard time to pick apart."

"But it's too...weird." Fox butted in at the last second and grabbed one of his whiskers, twiddling it between his thumb and forefinger. "You don't seem quite right, like a Mary Sue."

"A Mary-"

"-Sue," Fox finished. "They're too good, glossed over in so much plastic and wax that the air reeks of it. It's not your appearance," he added quickly when Peach began to reach for her frying pan, "but your words. They're too censored."

"Ah," Zelda understood. "This is for the people, after all. I will speak plainly. I... how was that?"

Fox winced at her reply and waited for a moment before replying slowly, "Yeah...but more than that. Like me, see?" He thrust a thumb at his chest and grinned, showing his canines. "Anyways, that's enough for tonight. It's late, and you need to be in the training room tomorrow morning at six. Peach, you coming?"

The princess nodded happily, "Yes! I'll bring us breakfast."

"Before you go," Fox handed Zelda a creased paper with ink scrawled in crooked lines, little to no uniformity to the letters and sizes. "Here's a list of phrases you might want to learn, as well as some modern day words."

"They may not be that popular in your realm," he began when Zelda eyed the list disdainfully, "but they are over here. Be relatable to your fans."

Zelda glanced them over. _Funky, cool, 'kick the bucket', yarlo-_

"But these make me seem..." Uncouth, preposterous; basically everything she had been taught not to be.

"Awesome," Fox finished for her. "Trust me, Princess. They'll love you." She wanted to ask him what a yarlo was, or why she would ever kick a bucket in the first place, but he flopped over in his bed with an exaggerated turn and the protest of the bed springs covered anything she had to say.

The warm touch of Peach's hand on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts. "Like I said, Sheik. Fox knows what he's doing. He's the best, after all." She giggled behind her hand and curtsied, bidding the two of them goodnight before she left.

Zelda sighed and folded the list into one of her many pockets, glancing once more at Fox's bed before stepping to the doorway. "I'm not kidding," Fox said to her back. "They'll love you." Zelda paused and nodded once, looking over her shoulder with a rare sly glint in her eye.

"Of course. How could they not?" Fox's surprised laughter followed her out the door.

* * *

Back in her room she couldn't sleep.

By the time she had come to that conclusion, the blankets had wrapped themselves around her legs like ivy and her pillow was squished beyond repair to the side. It was early morning, if the dark purple blooming at the corner of her fake window was anything to go by. Zelda sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes. If she couldn't sleep, how could she expect to train well?

A dark, shapeless lump caught her eye from the dresser stacked against the wall.

She stood slowly, creeping sideways until she realized what it was, her pack. She hadn't really had time to go through her inventory, so she must have put it there as a reminder and forgot about it. Zelda smiled, feeling a bit foolish and grabbed her pack with the intention of putting it elsewhere, but stopped. There was that extra weight in the folds of her bag, whatever Impa had added before she jumped into the canyon.

Curious, she reached in and began to empty its contents.

Several Sheikah uniforms neatly rolled, her dagger and needle pouches following an abundance of gauze and wraps. She put those to the side, something told her she might need them in the next few days. Next came a familiar ivory comb, and she held it in her hand for a moment before placing it next to her uniform. Whatever Impa had put in her pack had fallen to the very bottom, and she was almost arm deep before her fingers wrapped around a cold hilt.

Sheathed, the dagger was as long as her forearm and half as wide. It was slightly curved and patterned to match the rest of her suit, engraved with the customary Eye. But there was something that wasn't customary about this dagger, Zelda knew it. She knew it like she knew the song of rain, or the touch of long grass on her bare feet.

She knew it was an ancient blade.

Holding the dagger, she felt a pulse of _something_ run into her fingertips, down her spine and into the braid down her back. The air was tinged with this something, not of magic or power but something pure. Memory, she decided. She felt memory.

Even as she unsheathed it there was something about the blade that seemed significant, the way the metal sang against the open air- was it glowing, or was it just the light from her window?

" _There will be time to study this further,"_ she rationed. But as she sheathed the dagger she caught the engraving on the blade.

वहाँ पैर

Disappointment trickled down her throat. The Hylian was of the ancient text, lost to almost all in modern day Hyrule. Luckily, Shad had visited the Castle often enough that she remembered some of his ramblings. Zelda sat back on her hand, holding the dagger with the other. If she remembered right, the characters were a slant and inversion of the modern language. Concentrating hard on the shapes and lines of the etchings, she slowly drew out the translation on a slip of parchment from her pack.

_Pickled Cream_

Well, that wasn't right. Zelda sighed and rubbed her eyes, placing the dagger on her uniform for the morning. She would try again after some rest, when she had gotten at least a few hours of sleep. She straightened out the blankets, fluffed her pillow (fruitlessly, really, since the limp thing still sagged pitifully), and laid back, imagining her ceiling as the curtain of the night sky.

She dreamed of stars and snakes.


	11. Chapter 11

_...Crystals and flowers bloomed where she stepped, curling waves of moss and marble swam across her feet. Dancing lights threaded through her hair like fireflies, or sparks or raindrops and she was the light-_

"Princess, I swear if you don't open this door _I will do it myself!_ "

Heated pounding on her bedroom door woke Zelda from her dream. Or vision? She knew she would likely have another after the dream a few nights before, but if anything she was even more confused. Curling marble? Was there even such a thing-

" _Sheik!_ " Fox was at her door, kicking it with the metal toe of his shoes.

_Fox._

He interrupted her vision, what may have been _severely_ important to her mission, and she wasted no time in yanking on her Sheikah mask before swinging open her door. Fox leaped to the side to avoid being hit and raised an eyebrow at her appearance. "You look terrible."

"And _you._ What are you-"

"Don't tell me you forgot-"

"-doing here at such an ungodly hour-"

"-about _your_ training that I so _selflessly_ offered my help because-"

"-interrupting what was _undoubtedly_ of the utmost-"

"- _importance_!"

_"-I'm the cat's pajamas."_

They both finished, Zelda tinged pink from her outburst. "You are... What?"

Fox stood in her doorway for a moment before throwing his hands into the air, whiskers twitching. "C'mon, we need to go! Peach is a schedule freak and I don't feel like getting a pan in the face!"

"Wait, where are we going?" But Fox had shoved his way into her room, glancing around before finding the Sheikah garb she laid out the night before.

"Training Room, remember? You have a brawl tomorrow evening!" He tossed her the uniform and she caught it horrified.

"Tomorrow? But the letter said in three days-"

He ran out of her room and shut her door, much to her surprise. "You were supposed to get it earlier," his voice came muffled through the door, "but you were out with Peach. That was the first day, today is the second and you need to _hurry and get dressed._ "

Zelda glanced down at the uniform in her arms and flicked her wrist, enveloping herself in light as the garment wrapped itself around her. When it was finished she grabbed the dagger _\- Pickled Cream,_ she remembered- and fastened it to her back waist, ignoring the pulse it left on her hand.

She opened the door to find Fox sitting on the floor fiddling with one of the items from his belt, a strange metallic thing that was unlike any weapon she had seen before. He glanced up and did a double take, holstering the item. "That was quick."

"Of course it was. Didn't you say we're late?"

"Right, let's go." They weaved their way through the halls, stopping every few moments for an awed Toad or employee asking for an autograph from Fox. He handled it with suave and a wink, signing every one of them until they made it to the elevator. Fox pressed the level for the Training Room and smiled, "Once you have your first brawl, you need to be ready for your fans."

"Oh?" She watched him carefully. The assortment of pens and paper he used for those that didn't have them were in a proud green bag attached to his belt, ready for the draw. Despite having been delayed for nearly half an hour he was still grinning happily with a patience Zelda didn't think a fox could posses.

"Yeah. They'll come at you in swarms," Fox barked a laugh and the elevator doors slid open, revealing an incredibly irate Peach.

Fox's face went blank before he punched the keyboard of buttons- Zelda heard a crack from the impact- and Peach started forward with a cry, jamming her frying pan in between the silver doors.

Fox shoved Zelda forward, "Take her!" She looked back at him aghast and turned to face Peach who had planted herself in between the doors, eyes alight with fury.

"You," the princess started, blowing past Zelda and straight into Fox, " _kept me waiting forever._ " She pointed a finger at his chest and he winced when she jabbed him with each syllable, " _For-ev-er."_

 _"_ Sheesh, clip your talons." Nevertheless, Fox hesitantly directed her finger away and grinned sheepishly. "Did you bring breakfast?"

"Did I-of course I did! Do you take me for some kind of Goomba?" Peach moved aside and pointed to where a blanket and basket were laid out on the floor of the Training Room. "The eggs still need to be cooked of course. I didn't know how you liked them."

"You're going to cook them here? What?" Peach turned to Zelda as if noticing her for the first time. "Oh! Sheik, dear. Pleasant morning? Of course I'm cooking them here, fresh eggs are always best." She giggled and shook her head, Fox shrugging as if saying, _She's right._

 _"_ Peach," Fox began. "You planning on fighting?"

The princess tapped her chin before nodding, "Hmm, yes. After breakfast, that is."

"Good. You get started on that," he turned towards Zelda and grinned, "and we'll get started with your training."

They walked further into the room leaving Peach to hum her own tune as she built up a decent fire- much to Zelda's amusement and slight astonishment. If she had learned anything in the time she'd been at the tournament, it was that Peach was as unpredictable as a Summer storm.

Zelda liked that, it kept her on her toes and she didn't say that often.

"We're going to start with what you least know." Fox grabbed a few items from the shelf and set them on the floor in front of her. They were more or less identical to the one he kept holstered at his side, sleek and metal and obviously not from her realm.

He walked to one of the many scratches on the floor and waited until light faintly streamed into existence, growing and flowing into a river that filled every etching on the floor. He raised a hand and the light rose with it, and when he stretched out his arm the light followed. Like a conductor for an orchestra, or a painter and his canvas, he guided the light until it formed a path of its own, connecting to the other half of the room in a wall of light.

Fox walked a several paces away and did the same, guiding the light to the other side of the room so that they were in a tunnel of sorts. Zelda could still hear and see Peach humming away by the elevator doors, and when she caught her eye the princess waved. "What type of egg, Sheik?"

She waved back, "Oh! No preference." The princess smiled and Zelda turned to the vulpine. "What is this for?"

He smiled and pointed to the items on the floor, "It's for protection." He nodded to where Peach sat on the floor and Zelda understood. "These," and here he picked one up, "are rather dangerous. Called blasters. Think like a bow and arrow, except super charged and able to reload at double the speed."

Fox handed one to her and she eyed him, grabbing it with her forefinger and thumb as if it may kill her on the spot. He chuckled at her antics and re-positioned it in her hand, directing her other to grip the handle. "Don't worry. If you're hit in this room or on stage, these will leave nothing more than a nasty bruise. Painful, but you'll live."

He pointed to the hook of the blaster, "This is the trigger. It releases the ammo, or 'arrows'. Though I gotta warn you, the kick back is awful. I much prefer my own blaster." He patted the smaller one at his side and grinned.

He typed something on the menu of light and several hologram targets appeared, all different sizes and shapes. With a sinking feeling Zelda realized some vaguely resembled several of the Smashers she knew. She refused to look at Ness's target. Fox instructed her in the basics and before long she was shooting away, hitting almost all of the targets.

"Huh," Fox scratched at his chin. "What did you say you do?"

Zelda laughed lightly and rolled her shoulders; he wasn't lying about the kickback. "I've done archery since I was a child." Although the blasters were certainly more powerful, she thought she'd stick with the bow.

Peach called them over for breakfast and before long the three of them were seated nicely on the blanket dining on ham sandwiches and eggs, Zelda charming her face before removing her mask to eat. "So, Sheik," Peach patted the corners of her mouth with her handkerchief and leaned in with a smile. "How are you feeling about your first fight?" Fox leaned in too, interested in hearing as well. Before Zelda could respond, however, the elevator doors slid open behind her and the familiar jingle of chainmail reached her ears.

Link stood in the doorway and stared at them; they in turn stared back. Fox's face was carefully blank while Peach busied herself with the blanket, scratching at some invisible speck of dirt with her gloves. Link glanced Zelda's way and she nodded, mindful of Fox's eyes burning into the back of her head. Finally, Link made his way to the adjacent room without a second glance and Fox looked to Peach. A sort of cue passed between them and the princess daintily wiped her face with her handkerchief and stood, appraising Zelda carefully. "Come, I believe we have some training to do."

Zelda hesitated, wishing to figure out what just happened but nodded and followed her to the training floor, keeping silent as the princess got the menu running and chose their stage. Blinding light, forcing gale, and then they were on stage.

"Stage" was an insult. They were standing on a sort of platform hovering in space, and while the description seemed bland Zelda had no other way of putting it.

Because that was where they were.

Zelda saw the galaxies before her eyes, dancing stars; perhaps the whole universe. The world was silent for once, and it was like a void was opened- _discovered-_ the moment she looked to the horizon and saw no end to the stars. _It must be lonely_ , she thought, _to have no end_.

Peach waited at the side of the platform, hands primly folded, and smiled when she saw she had Zelda's attention. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She stepped to the edge and looked over her shoulder at her, smiling before she fixed her eyes on the rising light from the horizon. "It should be a crime to fight with something so pretty; I can't help but be distracted during a brawl here. In fact, I'd say this is my worst stage." She giggled behind her hand.

"Are you afraid of Link as well?" The question tumbled out of her mouth and landed with as much grace as a Moblin. Peach's shoulders stiffened, and after a moment that lasted a few seconds but felt like an eternity, she answered.

"No."

Peach sighed, lifting her eyes to meet Zelda's gaze. The princess wasn't wearing her heels, rendering her several inches shorter than herself. "Please don't blame the others for how they act. They're not afraid. At least," she corrected herself, waving a hand, "not most. There are others you haven't yet met that may feel otherwise, but Fox and Falcon and Mario... the others, they're not afraid. They're just wary. And for good reason, I'm sure you know."

"What reason?"

"His fighting." Peach's face suddenly flushed as if she just confessed a carefully guarded secret. Zelda narrowed her eyes slightly before understanding. Falcon must have told the others they saw her and Link at the Training made sense in both ways.

Zelda nodded, "Alright." And it was. Who was she to question others on their fears or worries? Of course she didn't have to share them, but there was no need to outright argue for the sake of proving them wrong. It simply wasn't in her nature to argue but to provide council. If she could perhaps persuade Fox and the others to see reason gently and over time, then maybe-

"-and, of course, the suspicion with Master Hand-"

Zelda's ears perked at this. Peach was muttering under her breath, anxiously twisting her hands before straightening and smiled. "Well, shall we-"

"What suspicion with Master Hand?" It was terribly rude to interrupt, but she couldn't just act as if she hadn't heard what Peach said. She had spent a week searching for _any_ lead she could find for her vision-the _original_ one, not the baffling ones of late-and Master Hand was the best she had. _'Of course,'_ the ancient, _wise_ part of her hissed, _'you could have been more smooth.'_

Peach sputtered, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Y-you...I... You weren't supposed to hear that!"

Zelda wouldn't budge an inch. "Is Link involved with Master Hand in some way?"

The princess shook her head violently, "No, no! I mean, I don't think so..." She trailed off and looked over her shoulder, something Zelda found amusing considering they were in space; nobody was there to listen. "Alright, you must promise not to tell. Not even Fox may know that I told you!" Zelda quirked a brow at this but nodded, anything to hear something potentially important.

"Fox and...some others don't trust Master Hand. Surely you've noticed this?" Zelda nodded, it would be hard not to. Peach continued, "Well, Link doesn't really associate himself with any of the Smashers. That wouldn't be a problem on it's own. Honestly, there are many who tend to stick to themselves..." She trailed off and looked down before continuing, "But that's not all. He doesn't bicker like the others but simply stays silent when Master Hand does something questionable. Sometimes it even seems like he enjoys the awful things Master Hand creates, like the clones of the Smashers..."

She shuddered before gripping Zelda's shoulders firmly, looking into her eyes with an intensity that was almost frightening. "They think that Link may be in cahoots with him. Though I don't believe it. I want to believe he's good. And you probably feel the same, him being from your realm and all. But it's a serious accusation around here, so you mustn't tell anyone! Do you understand?"

"I do."

Peach visibly relaxed at this, "I'm happy that you do. Now, can we _please_ fight?"

* * *

Zelda stood at the other side of the platform like Peach directed. "Good, now strike a pose!"

She stared dumbly at the princess who waved her hands across the stage. "What?"

"It's your entrance, makes for great PR service. Just do something neat! Like this," she turned and pulled out her parasol, blowing a kiss at the imaginary audience. Zelda cringed; she would have to do _that_? She produced a spark from her fingertips instead, earning an applause, "Ooh, nice!" Peach winked, "And now it starts!"

" _Go!"_

Zelda leapt to the left, dodging a... _turnip_? She watched stunned as Peach ripped them out of the stage with a new fervor, violently chucking them in her direction. "Don't worry about hurting me, just attack!"

She pulled some needle out from her pouch, all the while dodging the vegetables thrown in her path; a particularly angry one glared at her as it sailed off the stage. Zelda pivoted to the side and used the speed to rocket herself skywards, waiting until she was above the princess to throw the needles. Peach smirked and pulled from her side a familiar looking creature, the Toad smiling happily as it was impaled.

"Peach, that's _cruel_."

Peach pouted, "Not at all! He's fine, aren't you?" The Toad nodded fervently and she smiled, tucking him back in her...dress. _'What else does she keep in there?'_ She winced, hopefully she wouldn't have to find out.

A burst of fire erupted in her peripheral and Zelda turned just in time for Peach to bump into her, sending her sailing several feet in the air. Peach even had the _gall to wave._ They continued sparring well into the afternoon, and by the end they sat on the edge of the stage, Peach happily recounting whatever tips she thought to share.

"So don't ever turn your back on your opponent unless you mean to, and don't go to the edge of the stage unless you have something planned. Oh! And try not to fall off the stage, that is, unless you-"

"-mean to," Zelda finished for her, smiling. "I still can't believe you know how to fly." When Peach began to hover gracefully in the air Zelda had to stop for a moment and watch. At least until she began slapping her.

"Oh, that? Haha! Yes, when I first started fighting, everyone was shocked. But now we have Pit-the boy with wings, have you seen him yet?-so not many are amazed by it anymore. Although you have some nice moves too, _Miss Jabby Jab!_ " She nudged Zelda with her elbow and giggled, standing up and offering a hand. "Come, Fox must be bored to death by now."

Instead of taking the more extreme route Link used, Peach clapped twice and stomped. "It's a cute way, I think, to alert the room you've finished with it."

After the customary flash of light, thankfully far less jarring than the hair pulling she experienced last time, they were back in the Training Room. Fox stood from his spot on the floor, "Took you guys awhile," he said good-naturedly. "I think it's 'bout time we head to dinner, unless you gals want to freshen up a bit?" Zelda and Peach traded a look before nodding, they were both a little too scratched up for their tastes.

They stopped by Peach's room first- _"I'll change it up a bit tonight."_ -and Fox taught her several funny little games by the time the princess stepped from her room, clad in a pretty light dress; an exact replica of her previous one but blue. "That's a very nice color on you," Zelda commented, and Peach curtsied with a beam in return.

After cleaning up a bit herself they made their way down the halls, Peach and Fox arguing lightly on something Zelda had lost track of after the first few sentences. Fox was trying to persuade her to take his side when they passed through the last of the living spaces.

The carpet had become faded and tattered at this point, and she couldn't help but notice that Peach had become awfully quiet. A door was slightly ajar up ahead and Peach's shoulders tensed, her fingers worrying the brooch on her front.

Smoke curled out from the crack of the door and Zelda recognized it for what it was: Baxter's door. Or was it Bruiser's? Boxer's... She racked her brain, trying to remember the foreign name. _'I'll remember it in time,'_ she thought. _'For now is not the time to ask.'_ It really wasn't. There was a tension settled around her companion's shoulders, and Fox had to nudge Peach forward to get her past the room.

They quickly moved past the living quarters and took the nearest elevator they found. Upon arriving to the Dining Room Zelda hesitated for a moment. It was a slight stop, subtle enough that only the sharpest eye would catch it. The room was as busy as she remembered it to be; angels and demons, dragons and knights. They ate in this room, placed themselves on tables and chairs. The sight of all worlds ( _dimensions)_ gathered in one place was certainly a sight indeed, and Zelda found herself struck by the moment.

But the moment passed, and the Queen herself moved on to follow the princess and the fox.


	12. Chapter 12

Steaming meat buns, stacks of golden rolls. Buttered corn and dripping grapes. Ribs so tender the meat was close to falling off. Dozens of fish arrayed by size and species, soups and salads. Glittering chocolates with dainty fruit pies off to the side like fancy drinks served with doilies, and _those_ had their own table.

Fox took the lead, heading for the buffet counter to pile sausages and meat-links on a plate. Peach had sauntered off to find Mario by the time he had layered a third plate- _"I'm a growing boy, can't you tell?"_ -though Zelda stayed, standing off to the side slowly growing queasy at the sight. The Falcon Crew-she began to think of them that way, for Falcon, Mario, Ike and Samus were always together it seemed- chatted loudly in the corner of the room, though it was mostly the Captain's voice that carried. She watched as a blushing Mario pulled up a chair for Peach.

"Aren't you gonna eat?"

Fox was looking at her with the sausage fork still raised in his hand. Zelda smiled and shook her head, "No, perhaps later though."

He eyed her but nodded, grinning before waving a hand towards the Falcon Crew. "Why don't you sit down; I'll meet you there."

She nodded once and turned, weaving through the tables all the while dodging the odd person or two. One boy, perhaps a year or two younger than herself had his hands full trying to prevent an over-sized blue turtle- _or squirrel? How could such a thing be possible?-_ and dragon from fighting.

He was rather failing at it, however, and a gush of water soared over his table from the turtle-squirrel, " _Squirtle, no!_ Ugh, I'm so sorry-" He apologized helplessly to a now drenched and bulbous, ugly man with a jagged mustache. She vaguely wondered if he bothered with greasing it that way every morning as some Hylian men did but stopped when he growled with fury.

He jumped from his spot and the boy blanched, but a monkey of all things jumped into the fray before the fat man could do anything. It screeched and waved long and furry arms, tail like a snake writhing with energy. The man snarled and tried to take a step forward but it seemed even he didn't want to deal with the monkey and left.

The boy visibly deflated in relief and sat down despite his seat being drenched in water. The monkey waited expectantly at his side, his little hand held out with an " _Ook!_ "

"Yeah, here you go. Thanks, Diddy." The boy handed Diddy several bananas from the pack at his side and rubbed his own face tiredly with a sigh. The monkey scurried off and he hung his head; she almost stopped to talk with him but it was obvious the boy wanted some space. She made a point to glare at Squirtle though, and he looked properly chastised.

Satisfied, Zelda hurried to the others and squeezed herself in between Mario and Ike, the former chuckling once she sat down. "You met my cousin, eh?"

"The boy?"

"No, the other one."

_That_ guy? She found him across the room picking at his teeth, sitting next to a bored over-sized bird with a hammer. Honestly, there was hardly any common trait between the two except for the same haughty look in their eyes. "He's...certainly something else."

Mario snickered deep from his gut. "You can say it, I know. He's awful."

A snort sounded from her left, "You could say that again." Falcon leaned past Ike who looked slightly affronted at having a man in spandex hovering over him. "The guy's a class A jerk. He'd sooner spit on a baby than kiss 'em."

"Sooner pull out your hair than braid it," Fox added, pulling up a chair beside Samus and Peach.

Falcon grinned, "Step on a Pikmin before water it."

"Dance on your back and stab it."

"Slap you twice then punch you thrice." Even Samus cracked a grin at that one.

Peach placed a hand on Mario's arm but he smiled reassuringly at her and added, "Kick you to next week and not even buy you a calendar."

"Their actions are getting out of hand." Ike cut in, nodding to where Wario and the bird sat. "Red hasn't caught a break since he arrived, and you know the other new arrivals are having the same problem."

Fox sighed, "I _know_ , Ike. At least he's been able to buy off Diddy Kong's protection. With bananas, no less." He snorted, "I've been trying to get the Ice Climbers to take Pit under their wings but it looks like the boy's already got some."

Falcon shifted in his seat and folded his arms. "The space gardener-"

" _Olimar,"_ Samus elbowed him in the side. _"_ -Olimar, seems to be doing fine. We're all just a little tired I think. Give it a few more weeks and I'm sure Red will find his way."

Ike nodded but didn't look too convinced. Peach leaned across the table, looking as if she was about to speak but Fox straightened up and hit the table with his hands, summoning everyone's attention to him. "Sheik. How do you feel about tomorrow?"

Everyone's eyes turned to her; if she wasn't used to it Zelda was sure she would have flinched. "I think I've prepared as much as I can."

"The guy's been eyeing you like a hawk since you came in," Falcon said, nodding discretely to Snake at the other side of the room. She looked and locked gaze with the man. He stared on unflinchingly though he'd been caught and she wondered if that had been his intention.

Zelda turned back and could still feel his calculating eyes boring in the back of her head. "I wouldn't doubt it. He seems the type to not let anything go past him."

"Oh, he soon will be. Our Sheik here is fast, I can tell you that." Peach winked at her and took a dainty bite of ham from her plate.

"Oh, yeah?" Falcon grinned widely at her and knocked her on the shoulder, "Super!" Zelda smiled in return and at the side she could see Ike nodding slowly to himself as if in thought.

"How's your brother?" The question came from Samus, to her surprise, and was directed at Mario.

He smiled in return and the edges of his mustache curled up. "He's enjoying his vacation. He sent me a postcard from Cheep Cheep Beach," he added.

Peach shook Mario's arm excitedly, "Tell them about the time you and Luigi found that patch of Fire Flowers!"

His face lit up and the others leaned in as he began. "The meadow glowed like fire- really, it was beautiful. But Lu actually thought it was, you see..." He continued on as the others laughed. Fox sat up, stiff as a board.

She followed his gaze to the elevator where Falco stood in its doorway, resolutely avoiding their side of the room. He looked tired; deep rings lined his eyes and a few feathers looked out of place settled on top his head like down. Nevertheless he was standing painfully straight and alert.

Fox stood up casually. "I'm heading in. Goodnight everyone."

Mario looked up, "Huh? Oh, goodnight Fox." The others parroted the phrase but hardly glanced up. If they had, they would have noticed Zelda slipping out as well.

She followed him to the back of the room where he slid out an 'Employees Only' door and leaned against the wall once the door closed, his eyes shut tight. They were in a storage room; the dirty tiles looked clean compared to the mops and brooms that hung on the rack.

"Are you alright?"

Fox's heard jerked up at her voice and his eyes widened. "How do you do that? How do you just slip around-ah, whatever." He lazily waved a hand and shifted against the wall. "Ninjas don't tell their secrets... Yeah, I'm alright," He answered. "He caught me off guard. The others wouldn't tell me if he kept on as usual when I asked. I guess he has."

He exhaled and it was shaky, an airy breath that fluttered between the two before it cracked against the tile and broke into a thousand shards. The silence that followed was heavy.

"My people are taught to fight the good fight," Zelda started hesitantly, unsure if this was the right thing to say but continued, "Even if it means we lose." Fox looked up at her, eyes wide as a grin slowly spread on his face.

"Enough sap," he said. "Let's walk out there like the champs we are." Fox swung open the door and squared his shoulders, holding his head high as he passed every table. Falco had found a table near Diddy Kong and another large ape, though they seemed adamant on ignoring him. He watched as they approached, his bird eyes fierce when it seemed as if Fox would confront him.

Zelda was aware of the room slowly dimming down as others became aware but Fox gave no sign of noticing. He continued on, head high. Back straight.

And walked by him with a smile that stayed put when he was out the door.

Once they reached her floor Fox gripped her shoulders. "Thank you," he shook her slightly as if to drill the words in.

"You don't have to get up early tomorrow, so try to sleep in. Try not to miss a meal even if you feel like throwing up. I'll be in the Drawing Room all day tomorrow, so find me if you need anything. And for goodness sake," he laughed, "let loose. Tomorrow's your day, let everybody know it." He looked into her eyes, searching for something before smiling and slapped her on the back. "Night, Princess."

She walked back to her room slowly, still pondering the day's events. Falco didn't seem to be in anyone's good graces as of yet, though there were some other less than savory characters out there as well. Wario, Blaxer-' _What was his name?'-_ and the large bird she hadn't seen in action yet... Whether they were part of a larger scheme or just another group of goons remained to be seen. She would have to keep an extra eye out for groupings of any kind, she decided. Even the least talented were a force to be reckoned with in numbers.

As for the tidbit about Link and Master Hand, she wouldn't believe it. Her heart told her it was ludicrous, that a hero wouldn't pair up with the villain. ' _Perhaps he doesn't see the evil that_ you _see,'_ she thought to herself. But that was almost as ridiculous. Anyone could see there was an obvious dislike for Master Hand around the Dome, and that kind of unanimous hatred wasn't something to disregard. Even with her one encounter Zelda knew there was something off with the Hand, something sinister, and her suspicions were only grounded more every day.

_'Maybe Link knows something about Master Hand that no one else does.'_

She turned the corner to her hallway and stopped in her tracks. Link stood at her doorway and knocked on her bedroom door, holding something in his hand. Before she could get a better view he drew it closer to his chest.

_'What is he doing here?'_ She quickly hid behind the wall and watched as he tried knocking again with no luck. Turning on his heel he moved from the door and to her embarrassment Zelda wasn't quick enough to retreat behind the corner. "...Sheik?" She squeezed her eyes shut and cringed, pushing off the wall to bow.

"Link, good evening." She eyed the object in his hand. It was round and lumpy, what looked to be a clump of metal in his hand. "To what do I owe your company?"

He presented her with the clump of metal in response. She raised an eyebrow but took it, expecting it to be heavy but found it light. When he continued to look at her Zelda asked, "What is it?"

He looked at her surprised, "You don't know?" He reached forward and pulled at its edge; the metal crumpled into a sheet revealing a plate layered with dinner rolls and sausages, carrots and fish. "They call it _'foil'_. Its a magic covering that preserves food, though I use it for all my items." His eyes lit up excitedly, the shadows that lined his face disappearing in the glow.

Zelda looked at the plate astonished. "How did you know I was hungry?"

"I assumed. Folk have their stories about the Sheikah back home, how you live without ever showing yourselves. I figured you didn't want to take off the mask in front of everyone."

"There are still stories of the Sheikah?"

If he noticed her referencing the Shadow tribe instead of using _"us"_ he didn't show it. "Yeah, especially among the children." He smiled slightly and she suspected he was thinking of home. But he grew serious again. "Tomorrow's your first fight."

"It is."

He nodded, "Aren't you afraid?" She smiled, although the expression was lost on him. "Of course." She didn't know why she said it, didn't know where the words came from but right after they were said she knew it was true. She was afraid.

He stepped forward and assessed her face,"Good. The fear will keep you sharp and on your toes. You're fighting against Solid Snake, an explosions specialist. That means he has bombs, every type you can imagine. Bombs that plant deep in the ground like trees, bombs that can track you to the other side of the stage. Some are the size of Deku nuts that he can throw, and he's got a strong arm. You're going to want to move fast and keep low."

She didn't know what to say, and after his speech Link seemed at a loss as well. He fidgeted in spot and she stared. Kicking the toe of his boot to the ground and straightening the chainmail under his tunic, he looked around the room as if to find the response written on the walls.

"Win."

"Thank you."

They spoke at the same time and Link looked back surprised. He smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "You're welcome." He bowed and left, and Zelda remained standing in the hallway by herself long after he was gone.

* * *

9:38 a.m

To her surprise, Zelda slept heavily into the morning and took her time getting ready. A double layer of bandages over her arms and torso, triple over her palms and fingers. She methodically went through her collection of daggers and needles, arranging them by size and length before returning them to their pockets and sheathes. _Pickled Cream_ stayed at her back since she couldn't find another place for it, so she wrapped it twice before fixing it securely on her belt.

Mini Fox received a double braid of twine around his small chest.

When she couldn't trick herself any longer in to wasting time she forced herself out the door. _'Come now, Zelda. Do not be a coward.'_ She brushed her fingers through the end of her braid, swept back her fringe and started down the hall.

10:14 a.m

The halls were mostly empty and she made it in time to the Dining Room for a late breakfast, the kitchen staff settling down to eat their fill. She grabbed a few slices of bread and an apple and wrapped them in the sheet of foil Link had given her.

10:30 a.m

Thankfully the gardens were silent and absent of people. Zelda settled in the niche of a large oak the focal point of the garden. The smell of sap filled her nose and she suspected some of it got in her hair but she paid it no mind, shifting for a more comfortable position.

The apple was sweet.

The garden door opened and a Pokemon walked in; blue with long black ears. He looked at her but didn't say anything and let the door close behind him, walking further into the garden till she could see him no longer. The spike on his chest looked to be bone and Zelda vaguely wondered if it connected to his rib cage.

10:57 a.m

The Drawing Room turned out to be where most of the Smashers were.

"Oh, Sheik! Over here!"

Peach immediately drew her over to where she, Fox and the Falcon Crew sat. The room looked immensely different compared to the last time Zelda was in it. With the lights on and the couches arranged messily around the room, the layout was comfortable. Friendly, especially without Master Hand. "You look nice. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, for once," Zelda smiled.

"Good, then you have no excuse for when you lose." Falcon grinned and placed a board game on the table.

11:03 a.m

Her game piece was a little red plastic man, his comically long nose broken at the end.

11:10 a.m

"What are the rules again?" She had to whisper to Fox because after the third time Ike explained them his eye began to twitch.

"Don't worry about it. I forgot the rules halfway through my first time and never bothered to tell anyone. I still beat Ike every time."

She laughed.

11:42 a.m

"What time do I fight?"

"6:00 p.m, right after dinner. I suggest arriving earlier."

"Okay."

"I'll walk you there."

"Hey, let's go down to lunch already."

"Alright, alright. We're coming, Falcon."

12:02 p.m

Stab. Chew. Swallow.

Stab. Chew. Choke.

"Hey, _hey._ Drink this."

Sip. Swallow.

"You look a little green, dear."

"Leave her alone, Peach. Maybe she likes the color."

_Swat._

"Just kidding."

12:43 p.m

She was in the bathroom, washing scrubbing scraping her face. Splash splash, drip drop down the drain.

_Get a hold of yourself._

(I can't.)

1:00 p.m

"What's really going on?"

"I don't know, this isn't the first time I've fought."

"But it's the first time you've had a crowd."

"Well, yes."

"There you go, Princess. You've probably never had anyone really watch you before."

If only.

"Yes, I suppose that's it."

1:07 p.m

"Are you feeling better?"

"Well she must be. She finally left the bathroom." Snort. "Still can't believe Fox went in the women's restroom."

"Shut up Pit. When did you even get here?"

"I dunno, when did _you_ get here, _Falcon_?"

"..."

2:28 p.m

"Enough of this."

Zelda shook herself out, not caring if the others saw her flailing arms. She rolled her head and breathed in, rose her arms and bent forward fast, exhaling.

She shouldn't feel this nervous. In fact, there was no sense involved in the feeling. She couldn't die on stage (hopefully), so there wasn't any real danger. She had been stared at her whole life so the audience wouldn't matter; she wouldn't even see the audience if Fox's match was anything to go by.

So why was she so nervous?

_'He'll be watching.'_ Link will be in the strange glass room with the other Smashers, deciding for himself whether she was a good fighter or not. He brought her food and information last night, so he _must_ want her to win.

It was the only logical conclusion.

And she didn't want to let him down. And Fox, Peach. Goddesses...

They took the time out of their day to help her out. How could she let it all go to waste? Zelda brought a hand to her face.

She couldn't.

2:47 p.m

"Hey lady, remember me?"

Ness appeared out of nowhere and she turned in surprise. "Ah, yes I do."

"Wanna play with me?"

She looked through the doorway into the Drawing Room where the group lounged on the couches, chatting amongst themselves. They were trying to act normal, but she noticed Peach's fleeting glances and Fox's ears twitching in her direction. Samus was able to stare without even looking, and Zelda wouldn't have caught it if Falcon hadn't looked every time she did. The bounty hunter glared at him in turn for blowing her cover but he laughed her off, holding up a game of cards to distract her.

"Actually, my friends are waiting for me. Would you like to play with us?" She smiled when his eyes lit up and he nodded excitedly, running ahead of her to the couches. Peach immediately took a shine to the boy and Mario and Ike returned with drinks in tow. When the mercenary saw him he stopped briefly and left, coming back with a carton of milk.

Samus apparently had a soft spot for children and she gave him her cards, letting her take her place against Falcon. The Captain pouted for a second but heartily continued the game, laughing when Ness managed to beat him.

"Sheik, are you alright? You sort of disappeared."

Peach whispered once she was sure the others wouldn't notice, which Zelda was grateful for. Nearby Fox was listening to Mario rattle on about the benefits of mushrooms versus leaves though his ears slowly swiveled in her direction.

"Yes," she breathed. "I am."

4:45 p.m

Thankfully the Dining Room was open by the time they made it down even though they were fifteen minutes early. Fox piled on every type of food group on her plate. "Don't stuff yourself but try to eat something. Let your body choose for you. If you want carrots, eat carrots. If you want meat, _definitely_ eat meat."

4:50 p.m

Dinner was something else. Ness followed them to their table and brought Pikachu along but no one complained; Samus even smiled when the Pokemon hopped on her lap. Zelda ate as much as she could until her stomach began to feel heavy. She stuck with water after that.

Fox sent her a meaningful glance across the table and she nodded, it was time. He backed out of his chair and she followed, Peach hurrying over to grasp her hands. "Have fun with it, promise?" Zelda smiled, "I will."

The others wished her well and clapped her on the back and she left the table to Falcon's, "Knock 'em dead, girlie."

5:15 p.m

Fox punched the elevator button second to the top, "Hey, special occasion here. It's your first time going to the higher levels."

"Are they nice?"

He shrugged, "I guess. If cold metals and sleek floors are your thing, then sure."

She eyed his apparel with a raised brow, "And yours isn't?"

He grinned, baring his canines. "Hey, I'm an old fashioned guy. Polished wood floors, grand old staircases. That's the stuff."

The elevator _dinged_ and the doors opened to a sleek open space with only a few benches lining the wall. A wide Toad waddled up to them with a clipboard and gave her a once over. "Are you Sheik from Hyrule?" His voice was what a weasel would sound like if it spoke.

"Yes, sir."

"Follow me." He took off and Fox grabbed her shoulder. "I can't take you any further, 'kay?"

Disappointment tickled the back of her throat but she understood. "Hey." He leaned in and smiled. "You're going to blow their minds. You know that, right?"

_Yes._

5:20 p.m

Stretch the calves, lean the hamstring. Breathe in. Muscles like a bow, pull and relax. Breathe out. Loosen the shoulders, tighten your braid. Breathe in, breathe out.

Flex the fingers. Roll the wrists. Don't forget your sides, don't want to pull a muscle in the air.

Breathe.

5:30 p.m

She was under the stage, that much was obvious. The crowd above was deafening; surprising because a place as advanced as the Dome should be soundproof. Maybe it was meant to be a morale booster? Whatever the reason, it was giving her a migraine. Zelda was beginning to suspect Hylians had better hearing than these humans, or else they would bother to be a little more _quiet_.

5:45 p.m

The Toad eyed her behind the desk he sat at.

5:45 p.m

She waved. Peach was beginning to have an influence on her; whether it was good or bad, time had to tell.

5:57 p.m

The elevator doors slid open with a _hiss_ and both she and the Toad turned in surprise. An R.O.B rolled in, black eyes seemingly taking in the whole room at once. It trucked over to the desk and held out a slim, black envelope, the same type she received for her fight. "What's this?" The Toad said to himself since the R.O.B ignored him and rolled away.

He tore it open and pulled the letter out, eyes bulging as he scanned it. "What...?" He cast a glance at her from the corner of his eyes and gestured for her to come closer.

5:58 p.m

"Your stage will be Rumble Falls. Single Stock, Sudden Death."

_'Sudden Death?'_ She opened her mouth to ask what he meant but the noise from above grew tenfold. The sound left a ringing in her ears and she was stunned for a moment, her opportunity passed when the Toad quickly led her to the center of the room where a disk was inlaid in the ground.

5:59 p.m

"What do you want me to call you when you're introduced?" The Toad yelled to be heard.

"Sheik!" He tilted his head at her confused, "Sir Lady?!"

"What-no, _Sheik!"_ He shook his head confused and she tried again, " _S-H-E-I-K!"_

_"Sir Lady?!_ That's kinda weird!" He shook his head and laughed, "I like your style!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the disk, keeping her steady as it began to rise.

The ceiling _literally_ opened and the disk carried her upwards into a carrier of some sort, suspending her in complete darkness when the ceiling-now the floor-closed back up. The roar of the crowds left a hum in her teeth, down into the marrow of her bones.

6:00 p.m

_"And from the Kingdom of Hyrule, the mysterious Sir Lady!"_

She rose.

Ironically, Zelda saw Snake first in all his unremarkable glory. He must have been introduced before her because he was already situated on the ground and stared unimpressed at the pulsing crowd of the stadium. She racked her brain, trying to remember what she was expected to do next. Hadn't Peach mentioned something about impressing the crowd? Snake nodded when she met his gaze and the disk inserted itself in the stage with a jerk, causing her to fall forward.

She caught herself the last minute in a hand stand and the crowd erupted in applause, and Zelda stood there upside down, too shocked to right herself until a Toad darted across stage and tapped her knee. A voice sounding suspiciously like Peach said in the corner of her mind, ' _It could always be worse, right?'_

She scanned the crowd until she found it:a mirrored box, the audience reflected off its surface. That was where the others were. Fox must be _cringing_ by now.

Snake walked across the stage, waited, and Zelda strode towards him. Shaking hands, he gave her a single nod before returning to his side.

_"Sudden Death. Single stock, last one standing wins. Stage setting: Rumble Falls!"_

She was aware of the crowd faltering a moment and Snake's eyes narrowing. She was aware of a shift in the air, the grit of hot white grinding against her skin. A touch of fire, cream of night sky and then the slap of reality.

She was in Rumble Falls.

* * *

_3..._

There was something special about going to a new place. The feel of the ground, the smell on the wind. It was all different. For Zelda, this was especially true. In the span of a few precious seconds, this is what she saw:

A board lodged between two cliffs that was slightly thicker than the span of her foot served as the platform. It was slick and slimy in the way wood became after being left in the rain for too long because of the spray from the waterfall behind her. The odd brick and plank stuck out from the falls like jagged teeth and acted like stepping stones, though they didn't look too promising. The leafy ferns jutting out from the cliff rocks could probably handle her weight better.

_2..._

Zelda shot her eyes upwards to where the platforms climbed to the sky. Apparently the skyline had decreased dramatically _and_ glowed a luminescent mist of color since the last time she stared at it (which wouldn't be too hard to believe considering the amount of time she'd been living underground). A glance below confirmed her suspicions; they were boxed in by the strange glow. Something told her to avoid the light.

_1..._

Snake stood taut across from her, doing the same calculations as her no doubt. She met his eye at the last moment and was suddenly struck with recognition. She had seen those eyes before.

_Go!_

Pain and nausea.

Zelda clutched her chest- it felt like someone was squeezing her heart. Across from her she heard a grunt and saw Snake doing the same. _'Is this...normal?'_

Snake straightened up and she reacted without thinking. Ignoring the pain, Zelda immediately leaped to one of the higher platforms. He was going to have to come to her, not the other way around. The man paid her little attention and climbed his way skywards, using his bulging muscles to heave his mass up the stone and wood. Once he reached a considerable height from their starting point he pulled out a box and hid under it.

_'...?'_

The ground jerked from beneath her-the second time that day-and she looked down startled to see the odd light approaching at a rapid pace. Zelda quickly grabbed the stone overhead and hoisted herself up, jumping after the new boards that appeared as she went. Above her, Snake slipped while running on a mossy log and his leg came crashing into her face. Without even thinking she pulled out a few needles and stuck them in his shin-

-a tiny chestnut-sized ball dropped in her range as his leg disappeared over the log.

_Some are the size of Deku nuts that he can throw_ -

and then she was throwing herself over the board as it exploded, clawing and kicking up a vine just before hitting the light. Snake spared a glance her way before he pulled her needles out of his leg, continuing his hasty ascent up the fall.

Fire shot its way up her leg when the light reached her foot and Zelda cried out, quickly shimmying up the vine. Only when she was a good height away did she look down. There weren't even scorch marks. It must have been some sort of trigger to warn the Smashers if they were too close to the edge.

She leaned her head back, squinting against the blinding glare. The silhouette of Snake's box could be seen underneath another platform, impossibly high from where she stood. She would either have to run him out or directly confront him, and it didn't seem the man was apt on a fight. What was with the box? It didn't seem like very good covering; if anything she could kick it off him.

Zelda flexed her fingers. It looked like she would have to climb.

She kicked off one of the cliff's faces and flipped high onto an old cobblestone stairway, darting off just as it began to crumble. Looking up through the planks she heard more than saw Snake putting his box away and jogging to the side, taking a leap off the side to lift himself up with one arm onto a brick bedding.

Two shaky bridges adjoined the brick structure and clung to the cliff walls. Curling vines wrapped themselves between planks and left strands of greenery dangling below. Snake scanned overhead before carefully positioning his box under a plank above, quickly tucking in his knees before placing it over him.

He must not have seen her yet or he would have taken off again. Or- and here she scowled- he was just being insulting. Zelda scaled up the cliff wall, mindful of the crawling doom below and darted as quick as a shadow to the platform below him. She wasn't as quiet as she liked, the creaks in the board were as unsettling as they were loud, but the rumble from the falls should have covered the sound.

The vines were thick as rope when she pulled down hard, flipping the entire bridge and with it, Snake.

His box turned to a soggy mess as it tumbled down the waterfall and off the stage. She wasted no time in running after him, hands out pointed and ready. Snake stuck his legs out and used her momentum to kick her high but she shot right back down like a dart, narrowly missing his head with her foot. He danced to the left and whipped out a blaster of sorts, though instead of lasers a single bullet flew out like a sparrow. Dodging the missile, she was surprised to hear the whizzing of its gears follow from behind. She threw several of her needles at it but they bounced off and its shell exploded in her chest in a fiery haze of blood.

The smell of burning flesh scratched at her nose and Zelda fought the urge to throw up, clutching her stomach as she rolled out of the way of another sparrow-bomb. Her eyes rolled back for a moment but she recovered just in time, stumbling a bit until she found her footing again. She pulled out the chain at her waist and Mini Fox's fur quivered by the _whoosh_ of the air.

She spun it quick and its jagged point left long scars against the wood, flashes of blue veins in the cuts before fading into ripped up bark. Zelda whipped the chain back and forth on both sides of her, driving Snake backwards to the edge of the board. His footing faltered, his feet simply too big for the stage, and he fell sideways down the fall. Zelda ran to where he stood, looking over the edge. Something went wrong. Lightning shot from the ground up her ankles and she was blown off, feet actually burning with real fire-

- _bombs that plant deep in the ground like trees_ -

Snake flew past several platforms and landed hard on a rounded rock curving straight from the water. A puddle sat in its bowl and water splashed up when he landed on his feet. He could have chosen a better rock, as the two on either side of his were deep enough with water that the impact wouldn't have been as bad. Instead, Snake grunted as something in his foot snapped, its sound painfully loud amongst the flames and agony.

Zelda dropped, feet straight out as the flames licked her toes and fell in the small pool of water by his. There was the same feeling of clarity, surrealism after a dream of flying as she was suspended in the water. Blood, _her own blood_ , curled in streams around her and her hands went through its cloud as they shot up to grip the sides of the pool, and she threw herself like a needle into Snake who still crouched with a broken foot.

He looked startled to see her mangled body hurl itself into his, and there was a moment his eyes met hers and she knew, _knew_ she had seen his eyes before, and he must have seen that recognition in her eyes because his own widened. In the moment his eyes widened her body collided with his, and he only had time to raise his hand as her head connected with his jaw.

She rose curled hands, _curled from the pain_ , and forced herself to straighten each finger before she jabbed him in the nose till blood bloomed like a desert flower in the night. It streamed into his mouth and Snake gritted red teeth. He punched her hard in the chest, his knuckles making a wet sound as they collided with her burn.

As Zelda flew back she was aware of a few things.

One, the pain. Oh, how it _hurt._ She didn't want to be aware of the pain any longer so she moved on. Two, a complete stop of everything. The slight breeze, the tickle of spray from the falls, the fall itself. It was as if ice had come and frozen everything in place, though it was neither cold nor frosted. She soared past a spare water droplet and it left a line of water as her face streaked past it, like a knife cutting through butter and the butter was on her cheek. And her face a knife, she supposed, but that was a thought for the insane so she wouldn't dwell on it either.

Three, Snake's eyes darting past her shoulder and into the sky.

Zelda turned her head to the stilled waterfall and saw her reflection distorted by the streams like a dented mirror, and she watched in slow motion as a bomb hit her back. Fire popped from the shell in the same way water spread when it first hit the ground, and suddenly she was much higher than before. Her body gradually tilted down, though in reality it was dangerously fast, and she remembered how the pain and everything else drifted away as she floated between hundreds of bombs falling like rain.

She saw Snake pull out another box just as one hit him.

And then Zelda was enveloped in fire and her world turned to light.


	13. Chapter 13

Contrary to popular belief, Zelda was not a morning person.

Of course, she would get out of bed instead of lounge around all day. She _did_ have a kingdom to run. But that didn't mean she had to enjoy it, and waking up after being set on fire and exploded only supported her pre-established feelings. Still, that didn't explain why she woke up. Zelda scanned the room; unsurprisingly, she was in the infirmary. It was empty, and save for the steady murmur of the machines nearby, all was quiet.

A _beep_ from the screen across her bed sounded and a spark filled up the inky blackness. A woman was shown in front of the Dome. _"Reporting from the Smash Tournament we all know and love. What can we expect from the newcomer Sir Lady?"_

A clip was shown of her scaling up the cliff face and Zelda was startled to see how fast she was. At least until she was shot. Zelda grimaced and pulled down the blankets, expecting to see a large part of the bandage soaked through and moist. Instead, they were fresh and gleaming white. How long had she been out?

The woman on the screen continued over the video, _"As I'm sure we're all still reeling from the incredible brawl and history-making rule change, Smash Bros Center has decided to fill us in. Commentators have been speculating on Sir Lady's connections to the up and coming Link. Are they comrades or enemies? Who is_ _the person beneath the mask? And what's the deal with the Fox McCloud toy at her waist? Is Sir Lady a man or a woman-"_

"Ew. You're watching this trash?" Fox waltzed in with a wink, lugging a satchel over his shoulder.

"Oh, no... it just turned on."

"Did it?" Fox gave the screen a look before he managed to turn it off.

"How long have I been out?"

He turned back with a grin. "Just a day, it's a little after noon now. How do you feel?"

"Surprisingly well. However more surprising is my state of living."

He laughed, "Have a little faith in yourself. A couple of bombs couldn't kill you, at least not on stage. Out here, I wouldn't recommend a repeat."

She stared at him and shifted in her bed, her burn pulling against her skin. Fox must have noticed her wince because he straightened up and pulled several sandwiches from the satchel. "This will help."

She took a bite and a glitter of light ran down her body, a tingling sensation replacing the pain. "Do you...mind?"

Fox blinked, "Eh? Oh! No, not at all."

He turned around and she lifted the the edge of the bandage. There was only a slight redness to the skin, a splotch that spanned from her collarbone all the way down to her naval. ' _How bad was it before?'_ She quickly threw off the rest of her blankets and unwrapped her legs. The skin there was better, only a light pink that went up midway her calve. The tips of her toes were still scabbed over but they looked to be in the final stage of healing. She wouldn't even have scars.

"The wounds you sustained..." Fox said softly. "They weren't pretty, but you weren't ever close to death. The stage limits the amount of damage you take."

She re-wrapped herself and replaced the covers, smoothing down imaginary wrinkles. "You can turn around."

He sat in the chair by her bed, the same one she sat in when he was in the infirmary. "You were incredible out there, just like I said you would be."

She rose an eyebrow, "I was burned to a crisp while Snake escaped with little more than some scratches." Of course a loss wasn't something to be ashamed of. She knew the quality of a well-fought fight, and the majority of her enjoyed how long she lasted despite the odds. But the teensy, bitter old crone of her mind griped about the loss. _Ah well._ At least she gave the man a run for his money.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by Fox's snort. "'Scratches?' Snake was tripping all over the place. Didn't help that it was Rumble Falls, the guy is more of a heavyweight than anything else. Besides, the guy broke his foot, not to mention those pins you stuck in his leg." He made a face, "That was pretty gross actually. I'm not a guy for needles."

"Well, I'm not a lady for 'blasters'."

"Hey! That's not fair, you're just turning my words around because you're too lazy to come up with your own thing."

"No, I'm just telling the truth." She smiled pleasantly and Fox flicked his ears at her before looking at the door. A sudden thought occurred to her and she sat up. "That ' _Sudden Death'_. It was a first, wasn't it?"

He looked back at her with a dark look and nodded his head. "It seems Master Hand is shaking things up. Why? I don't know yet. But we'll find out." Fox stretched his legs out in front of him, " _Sudden Death_ has only ever occurred when there is a tie between two Smashers. Both fighters starts off with three hundred percent damage, and if the fight lasts long enough Bomb-Ombs start to fall on stage."

"That was why Snake kept searching for cover."

He smiled approvingly. "That's right. He's a smart one, that's for sure. Though you forced him out of his box, something not many others have tried to do." He looked to the door and laughed, "Gotta say, when you flipped him off that bridge his face was priceless." It was. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he tumbled down.

"Anyways," he said. "The crowd loved your speed and determination. You got beat up but you kept fighting. Still, though, why 'Sir Lady'?"

She suppressed a groan, "The Toad couldn't hear me. Though how he got _that_ out of 'Sheik', I have no idea."

"We can get that fixed easily. The doctors said you're free to go when you feel up to it, but let's wait awhile on the name change."

"That's fine with me."

Fox grinned. "Can you stand?" She answered by slowly edging to the side of her bed. She tentatively placed her bare feet on the cold tile. Besides a slight shock that went up the soles of her feet she felt fine and stood up. " _Whoa!_ Take it easy, your nerves are still healing." She smiled and straightened, absently rubbing her arms. It was far colder without the blankets; the standard-issued paper gown didn't have much warmth to offer. He handed her something else from the satchel and after some serious guesswork Zelda realized it was the Sheikah garb she wore onstage.

Immediately after he pulled it out the stench of ash filled the room. It was completely blackened in the front and the leather was charred: beyond saving. "Sorry Princess, but your dress got ruined." He handed it to her and part of the leather crumbled away.

"Let's not exaggerate," she muttered dryly. Zelda pulled her hand away and scrunched her nose in distaste. Her hand was covered in soot.

"The only things salvageable were these." Fox pulled out a cloth that had streaks of black from her uniform. He unwrapped it on the bedside table and she leaned in for a better look. Thankfully, it looked like her dozens of needles, daggers and chains made the fire. Even Mini Fox was alright, albeit singed. She picked up the same kind of needle she stuck in Snake, as thick as a toothpick and twice as long, when she glanced down at the table and stopped. Something was missing.

"Wait, here's some more. This one was odd though." Fox pulled out another cloth, this one slightly thicker. Wrapped neatly inside was _Pickled Cream,_ untarnished and new as day. Even the leather sheathe was fine. "You've got yourself a special dagger there."

Zelda picked it up and weighed it in her hand. _'Interesting...'_

"Yes, it seems I do." He waited for her to elaborate but she didn't, so he shrugged and pulled out a pair of his own jumpsuit complete with the signature red scarf. "I figured you wouldn't want to walk all the way back to your room in a paper shift so I brought you the best threads in the universe."

She gave him a look and he added, "It was this or the Cap's suit, and trust me. He was all too willing to oblige." Zelda laughed _(it was either that or throw up)_ and Fox glanced at the door again.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Huh?"

"You keep looking at the door."

He blinked. "Peach was supposed to stop by. I don't know where she is."

"You can go find her."

"Really?"

"Yes," she smiled and made to push him out. "I was just going to go back and change, then maybe wander for a bit. Go and enjoy yourself." He grinned, pointed teeth flashing. "I could say the same to you. Oh, and Princess?"

"Hmm?" She was busy unwrapping the jumpsuit and looked up in time to see the glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"You should go without your mask more often." She slapped her hand to her face and felt flesh, not cloth.

Her boot narrowly missed Fox's head as he ran out the door.

* * *

The halls were mildly filled by the time Zelda suited up, using the scarf as a makeshift mask. She never thought she would be the same height as a fox, but the jumpsuit fit adequately. It was overall baggy and the color wasn't something she would choose for a dress, but it suited its purpose in getting her to her room. She was a floor away from her own when she crashed into someone.

Her face smacked directly into their chest and her nose bent painfully to the side. She rubbed her face, "Pardon me, I didn't see..." Looking up, she found herself staring into the eyes of Link. He opened his mouth to say something but got a better look of her. Promptly closing his mouth shut, he muttered an apology and continued on.

Was it because she lost? Zelda looked after him confused but didn't follow. Granted she didn't know him that well, if at all, but he didn't seem the type who thought victory was everything. She shrugged to herself; if he didn't want her company she would spend it elsewhere. Pulling into her room for a quick shower and clean Sheikah uniform, Zelda emerged with a clear plan in mind.

She was going to track down Snake and get some answers.

Several hours later she was beginning to feel doubtful. Zelda had checked every room she knew Smashers usually congregated and yet the man was nowhere to find. Dryly she noted he was as elusive in public as he was on stage. Fox was unusually absent as well, and even the Falcon Crew was split up. Ike was sitting by himself in the Drawing Room when she entered and he barely looked up when she approached him.

Standing in front of him, an awkward note slowly crept its way in the air. She had never really talked to the man before, and even then she always had Fox or Peach with her.

"How are you today, Ike?"

He looked surprised to see her standing there and stood respectively. "Sheik, I didn't notice you there. You were a splendid fighter."

She smiled the compliment away, "Thank you. Where are the others?"

He looked distracted. "They're busy."

"Oh." So much for pleasant conversation. The small voice inside her head hissed, ' _Now, now. Let's not be bitter.'_ She realized that she had spent too long a moment in silence and Ike was beginning to look uncomfortable. "Could you show me around?" She blurted out and immediately cringed beneath her mask; the man sat alone because he probably wanted to _be_ alone. But before she could take it back he nodded.

"As you wish. Where would you like to go?"

"Perhaps the higher levels. I haven't spent much time in the public spaces of the Dome."

Ike grew serious, _too_ serious for his next words. "The shopping level it is."

Later, she understood his attitude. While the shopping level had a beauty of its own, the ceiling built to look like the open sky and the floors paved with rose brick, Zelda knew she wouldn't be coming back often. The tourist section was completely filled with people, not to mention the noise and pure chaos. A headache started to pound behind her eyes minutes after stepping out of the Smashers-Only elevator, and a scowl was steadily carving itself onto Ike's face. By the third time he was hit with a shopping basket she apologized. "I'm truly sorry for having you bring me. You can leave now if you want."

He smiled. "No, I wouldn't leave a lady to fend for herself. Besides, I would like to see the new figurines on sale." He pulled her over to one of the shop windows. Dozens of mini-Smashers perched on tiers like trophies, some boasting _Live-Action Voice Command!_ or _Exclusive Costume_ in bold fonts.

"Come inside, this is nothing." And it truly wasn't. At first it sounded like an exaggeration, but when she repeated it to herself it was true. Every Smasher had their own table. Even she had one, although it was smaller than the rest. She had one figurine, a tiny version of herself with her chain whipped out in front. Its detail was impeccable, though she scowled when she noticed the box cover: _Sir Lady_.

Ike whistled beside her, "They sure do make these fast." He wandered off to his own table and she made to follow when another's caught her eye. Fox had an entire corner to himself, the walls painted orange to complete the look. There was an array of toy blasters and plastic Foxs, plushies and super-sized mannequins. But none looked like Mini Fox. They all had the general look, granted, but none were even close to his refined fur and crystal eyes.

_'Perhaps this one was custom made.'_ Fox _was_ vain enough to order a figurine of himself. Zelda had picked up one of the plushies- it was adorable with big eyes and a tiny nose- when her eyes swept past the man behind the cashier.

_'Those eyes_.' She weaved through the crowd, ignoring the complaints when she cut in line and acted as oblivious as her advisers. "Excuse me, but could you help me find a gift for a friend?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Ma'am, I'm afraid you'll have to ask another employee. I have a line of customers waiting."

Her face went blank, "I insist." She tried to convey with her eyes _I know, and I'll tell everyone here and now if you don't come_ , and she watched as his face grew lined. He gestured for another employee to take his place and led her through an Employee's Only door.

"Bitterness isn't an attractive look for you," Snake said, and his voice had reverted to a gravelly husk of the tone he used in disguise. She was taken aback at how much he could change in one second.

"This isn't about our fight, though I think you know that already." He didn't reply so she continued. "You were at the _Fountain of Dreams._ " Snake's face didn't give anything away but thankfully he wasn't insulting her intelligence by denying the fact. "You were the waiter who brought us our food."

He nodded and smirked, "That's right. How about we keep it our little secret?"

"Snake," his name was foreign on her tongue, "why are you working in disguise?"

He frowned, "Is there something wrong with trying to rack up some extra cash on the side?"

"Do not lie."

His arm flashed and she only had time to draw one of her daggers and place it at his gut before she was staring down the barrel of his blaster.

"Some things aren't always what they seem," he grunted. "How blind are you, if you think you're safe here?" Interestingly enough, his finger wasn't on the trigger.

"Please," she rose her eyebrows. "I am not your enemy." She painstakingly sheathed her dagger and waited. Finally, he lowered the blaster and holstered it, taking one more look at her before moving past her and out the door.

Zelda let out the breath she'd been holding. There was an innate sense of bluff when he pulled out the blaster, but the rest of her wasn't so sure he would back down. At least some of her questions were answered. Snake was on the lookout for something, and to do so he had taken up at least two disguises in his free time. That would explain why she hadn't seen him around as much as the others. That also meant that he had his own suspicions. About who, or what, remained to be seen.

She waited a few moments before leaving the room and came face to face with Ike.

He quickly pocketed something and smiled. "There you are. You wandered off and I couldn't find you." She looked over his shoulder but Snake had already left.

"I apologize," she said. "I wanted a price check on something."

Ike met her eyes and she saw the suspicion there, but he covered it well and held out his arm. "After you, my lady."

* * *

She barely registered it when her feet had taken her to the Training Room. She had split off from Ike midway to stop by her room and check her skin. It was still tender, and in some places the skin had been rubbed raw. Mini Fox's twine had started to unravel so she placed him on her dresser to fix later.

Standing now in the near empty Training Room, her headache calmed down to a dull hum. It occurred to her that this was the first time in days that she had a moment to herself that didn't consist of bathing, sleeping or other means of unconsciousness. Zelda smiled to herself, it was nice-

"I see you shook the Fox pack."

-while it lasted. Link came around the corner. His face was slightly flush from exertion; he must have just finished training. "I'm sorry, I don't underst-"

"The furry jerk, spandex man, ice queen," he waved a hand and shoved past her, "whatever you call them. You're not tugging on his tail like you usually do." Her mouth dropped and her hand acted without permission from her brain. Link almost made it to the elevator before she tossed several needles at his hat, pinning it to the wall above him.

Without the signature green his hair was plastered to the back of his neck. He stopped and his shoulders tensed, "Did I strike a nerve?" He spun fast and caught her next needle before she felt it in her hand.

"I would speak carefully if I were you." Something about him messed with her mind and she acted rashly around him, never thinking and always acting. It didn't use to be this way. In Hyrule, the three times she spoke with him she was calm. Collected, even. Granted that two of those times he was a beast and couldn't speak back.

He marched up to her and she had to lean back to meet his eyes. This close to him she could smell fresh grass. "You've been waltzing around with a toy of the guy at your waist since you got here and have barely left his side. And today," he snorted and shuffled his feet, "you wear his _clothes?_ I thought Sheikah were supposed to be _honorable."_

_"_ I suppose the same could be said of you."

His eyes flashed and for a moment she saw him as the wolf, rising on his haunches with teeth bared, jaws strong enough to rip her throat out. Zelda remembered Peach's words, ' _They're just wary.'_ She remembered the way he ran his sword through Marth's clone, ripping metal apart like flesh, and despite herself she took a step back.

Link flinched and turned, rubbing his face. "...I'm sorry." He looked up and she saw a little of the hero before he disappeared from Hyrule. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "It wasn't my intention to frighten you." He ran a gloved hand through his hair, messing it up even further.

"I can't stand Fox or Captain Falcon. Or anyone else that hangs around them. Princess Peach is nice," he added with hands raised, "but we don't have anything in common. So when I found out that you, the new Smasher, were a Sheikah... I thought things would be different. You guys were my heroes when I was younger. I think that made me expect you to be unique." He winced after hearing his own words, "Not like that. Like...not a real person?"

She stared as he waved his hands in the air. "No, not like that either! I meant, that I didn't think you'd be like me. Someone with a personality. And that you would be someone to hang around Fox..." He avoided her gaze. "I couldn't believe it."

He shot his eyes at her, "I mean, I gave you that advice as an afterthought. I just wanted someone else of our kingdom to win against one of these guys. But you looked as if you hadn't heard anything about what I told you. Didn't they help you?"

She felt defensive but squashed the feeling away. No need to be childish. "Fox taught me how to use a blaster, and Peach worked with me..." _'On my personality,'_ she finished. They told her nothing about planted bombs or exploding sparrow-bullets.

He furrowed his brows and added, "Aren't you suspicious at all? Don't you wonder if they _wanted_ you to lose?"

Her vision flashed to the front of her mind. Curling mists, all of the Smashers standing together before they were swallowed into the void. No, she thought. If anything, they were all on her side. At least, enough so that they didn't plan on destroying all worlds.

Zelda shifted her feet around. "What's wrong with Fox and Falcon?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "What isn't? They both have this arrogant vibe like they think they're better than everyone else. They're jerks."

"They're my comrades."

He pursed his lips. "I know. Just...don't let them pull one over on you, alright?"

And then he walked away, tugging on his hat several times before the needles clattered to the floor.

* * *

Zelda had only stepped into the Dining Room when something felt terribly wrong.

It was similar to the wrongness of tepid tea with paint flakes floating on the surface, or the rotting of a Deku Leaf in the middle of a desert where there shouldn't even be one.

She felt it behind her ears first. A cold damp feel, spreading until it reached the bottom of her chin. Zelda took off running down the hall; she didn't know where she was going but her feet seemed to. Soon she was levels below ground, low enough that her ears popped, when she head-on collided with Fox. He roughly grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling, his nails digging into her leather shoulders. His eyes were frantic and his fur was mussed like he'd been running for miles.

_"Where have you been?!"_ His voice tore from his throat and he shook her. "We've been looking _everywhere_ for you, and you weren't in your room and I thought-" His voice broke off and he pulled Mini Fox out of his pocket, tying it to her waist with unshakable intensity. He then spoke into his wrist, "I've got Sheik on the tenth floor, bringing her down to level seventeen." Static hissed after he lowered his wrist and he grabbed her arm, pulling her along hard.

Zelda pulled back but he strengthened his grip. "C'mon, we need to hurry." She stopped deliberately and his ears flickered. She stared at his back; his tail was still crooked. " _Please."_ She couldn't see his face.

"Fox?"

He looked over his shoulder, his hand still glued to her arm. "She's gone, Sheik. Peach is gone."


	14. Chapter 14

The further they walked into the forest, the more it came alive.

It began in the subtlest of ways. The rustle of branches overhead, a click from a stray cricket. But as Zelda and Link walked on, the mushrooms and moss took on violent shades of purples and greens, murmurings of chirps chimed before silver birds the size of Deku nuts sprang from the brush. On the forest floor small stones and saplings rode on the backs of tortoises. Skittering, glowing rodents the size of her fingers ran up the side of a mossy boulder and spread their wings, soaring high above the trees like specks of purple stardust.

And the _trees._ Oh, how Zelda loved them so! Where they once were plain and needled, the trunks spread at least twenty persons wide and skyscraper-high. The trees connected in some areas where the branches stretched into the shadow of the other, rows and rows of sleeping giants slumbering into the arms of the other. The Queen and her Hero often found themselves scaling wood like it were rock to reach the next patch of open ground, hoisting each other up by their shoulders when the roots were too tall. Every tree they crossed over, every trunk they grappled the side of like insects, the next tree was even larger. They stretched as far as the eye could see.

The further they walked, the older the trees, and the older the trees, the more moss they found themselves walking and climbing and sidling upon. Zelda didn't mind. The green sprouted tiny white and pink flowers, and little buds flowered open as they passed like they were breathing.

It was beautiful.

What Zelda _did_ mind was how the forest seemed to grow as they walked further in, and the chances of finding Peach _at all,_ never mind by afternoon, were quickly diminishing with each step. She thought she was doing a good job of hiding her anxiety but Link kept glancing her way every time he thought she wasn't looking.

"So, how did you come to be at the tournament?"

She was in the middle of pulling herself up and over a wall of vines when Link chose to break the silence. He crouched at the top of the vines and helped her to her feet and stared expectantly once she got a nice grip on the side of another hulking trunk. "Her Majesty," Zelda stuck as close to the tree as possible, there was a drop off between the roots and the fall didn't look pleasant, "sent me here to scout out new battle strategies." Link's careful footing followed her from behind.

"Ah."

When he didn't expand she spared a glance over her shoulder. "How did you come to be here?" She would be lying if she said the question hadn't been on her mind since first seeing the flier. Did he know about the portal as well? Did he somehow fix the Twilight Mirror only to come here instead?

"A traveling merchant came to me." She stopped in her descent and behind her Link did the same.

"A...traveling merchant?"

She looked back and he nodded. "Yeah. He gave word there was a place of battle for only the best in the land and showed me how to get there." Without prompt he added like he knew she would ask, "The merchant opened a portal for me."

A merchant that could open portals. Was he _daft?_ That didn't sound like any merchant she knew of. The man was obviously a sorcerer, but why would he want Link to come to the tournament? She relayed that last bit to him and asked, "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

He blew a stray hair from his face, "I mean, sure, but odd things always happen to find me. Why question it now?"

Zelda fixed him a look and continued sidling along the tree until she made it to the ground, helping Link down the last scraggly bit of root when his foot became caught. "What did he look like?"

Link stared off to a space by her head in thought, furrowing his brow after a moment. "Cloaked. I couldn't see his face, but he sounded young enough to be in his peak health." He shrugged, "That's all I've got."

"Please don't be offended by this question."

"Go on."

"How have you managed to reach adulthood?"

He laughed and Zelda was surprised. It wasn't obnoxiously high like some men of the court's, nor was it the low timber of her favorite blacksmith's. It was boyish in the joy within its note, confident and sudden and _so very alive_. It was everything _Link,_ and although Zelda hardly knew him she could tell this was the first he laughed in months.

He smiled wide, "I've been asking that myself since I left home." He walked past her and sized up their next tree. "For the first time, that is." The smile in his voice left halfway.

She could feel his awkwardness. Zelda would think back on it later, how their history _(or lack of)_ crumbled from its hide hole at the back of her mind, its hold no longer on her judgement, and for a first time in a long time she felt free to do whatever she wanted. It was funny, then, that in her freedom she chose to pick up a stray pebble and toss it at his back.

Link was jerked from whatever thought he was in and looked over his shoulder, confusion and- Was that irritation? _'I'd never!'_

She laughed and it came out breathy, "What happened to 'Ladies First', hmm?" It was a clumsy excuse for a quick move but he didn't seem to notice or care, stepping aside for her. Their next tree was covered in moss so completely that even scraping at it didn't show the bark. They were in a small clearing surrounded by the trees, their stumps so close together she wouldn't be surprised if it were one large tree and they were standing in its hollow. Their next path was several yards high, through a small opening in the trunk that a few dark branches far away could be seen.

Cringing but knowing it had to be done, she pulled two daggers out and stuck them in the wood, pulling herself up with each stab till she reached the small alcove. She crouched on her toes, holding herself in place by the fingertips until she could lean out.

She wouldn't bet on it, but something told her they were near something important. The trees were almost _too_ close together, barely two feet between each massive trunk, and a strange glimmer had attached itself to the forest floor. "What do you see?" Link called out from below and she waved him up. The sound of bark splitting was painfully close to her head and she flinched, Link already pulling his Hookshot from the tree. She glared at him in return and he looked at her innocently- _dumbly,_ her mind supplied. "What?"

"Nothing at all," she said, shifting around to outer trunk and slowly began her decent down the tree. When she was a good several feet down Link started as well, the dirt sprinkling down upon her head from his boots.

Immediately after her feet touched dirt, a sense of restlessness stung her like a hornet. She could feel its energy down to the pads of her fingertips and Zelda looked to where Link dropped beside her.

"...Do you feel that?"

Link stopped and shifted his feet, a glint appearing in his eye. "Yeah. What is that?"

"I cannot tell, but I'm certain we'll find out soon."

They walked side by side until the first pair of trees forced them into single file, and an odd thrum within the bark grazed against her back. _Like a heartbeat._ A jolt sent up her legs from the arches of her feet and she jumped, "Gah!" Link looked at her oddly as he shimmied through. To her immense pleasure and his surprise, his legs contracted into a tumultuous frenzy that finished in a pile of dirt.

"This place isn't normal," he brushed off his clothes and got to his feet.

"Are you certain?" Zelda drawled and tested her feet; the anxious energy was still there but the electricity had dulled down to a dim hum.

"Well, yeah, the place is weird. That's not what I'm saying." He walked straight to the next tree, "I've been places, but never to a forest that shocks people like _that_."

She followed close behind, "We must take into account that this forest is no ordinary 'weird'. We are in an alternate dimension facing advances far beyond our own." A _zing_ went up her legs once more, sharper than the last one. "Perhaps this is normal," Zelda finished.

Link hissed once he passed through another set of trees, this time having to turn sideways to avoid getting stuck. "Not my normal." Zelda smiled in return and followed.

They continued this way for some time and the trees gradually shifted closer until it seemed they had to burrow through wood.

Link had to remove his shield for him to shimmy through the next gap and walked on to the other side, reattaching it to his back. She was halfway through the gap herself- her _Pickled Cream_ , the stupid thing, caught on the bark- when Link stopped in his tracks. "What is it, Link?"

He didn't answer. Zelda unlodged herself from the trees and peered over his shoulder.

_'...?'_

The largest tree she had ever laid eyes upon shot from the dirt like a titan. It completely dwarfed her castle by at least twice over and boasted branches that umbrellaed over all surrounding trees in sight. It blotted out the sky, and thus the moon. But the giant supplied its own light, a vibrant blue not unlike the kind that designed the Training Room. ' _In fact',_ Zelda noted, ' _it looks to be the exact color.'_ The smaller trees spotted around at now comfortable distances glowed as well, though of a markedly less brilliance.

"What... is this place?" Link whispered. It didn't seem right to speak any louder. There were no other sounds, nothing else to distract from the clearing. Zelda took a step and another, hesitantly putting one foot in front of the other with each electric jolt. Power smothered the air and fauna and she breathed it in, _"_ The heart of the forest. _"_

They stepped past a fallen tree, the glow absent from its trunk when Link took off running. She was a step behind him so in the sudden burst of the moment Zelda had no time to react, no second to gather her thoughts and deliver an intuitive action. It was natural law that she placed her foot down only slightly in front of where Link's foot had been. That was the first set of movements.

_findmelookrunrunrun-_

The words pounded in her skull like a drum and its beat lined up with her heart. Zelda ran. Her legs pumped fast, faster then ever before with a frantic intensity she hardly ever used. Ahead of her Link was already halfway to the Tree, leaping over an ancient decaying stump. He fumbled on his legs but managed to roll off a drop that led down deep from her sight. That was the second set of movements.

The need to be there, wherever _there_ was, overcame her and Zelda threw herself down the slope, tumbling down to where Link kneeled panting at a sprawled root of the Tree. She landed on her stomach and rolled to a stop beside him.

At its base there was a pool.

The water was...or, _the glass was..._ It had to be liquid, her mind rationed. Nothing else would be at the base of a tree in a forest, and _yet._ The surface contained not a single ripple, the effect replicating the forest above and their flushed, sweaty faces. Zelda felt like she could reach forward and touch the face of her own reflection, it was so real and clear and _close._

_find me._

She felt the words in her hands. An itch tickled underneath her fingernails and beside her Link's hand twitched. Zelda propped herself up on her elbows, shaking herself out but to no avail. The itch was still there, needling and torturing mercilessly at her nail beds. She silently cursed the Goddesses for always managing to make her life something like a divine comedy, akin to what children watched in puppet shows on sweltering afternoons. Link sighed beside her hat askew, and she assumed he was thinking the same. They only had to exchange looks to agree, and in an ungraceful flop of limbs and hair, Zelda and Link spilled themselves into the pool.

That was the third and final set of movements; the catalyst for what Zelda in all of her wisdom could not have foreseen.

* * *

It was _(to the best of her imagination, she couldn't possibly know)_ like flying.

Zelda had been archiving every nerve response, every flutter and brush against her skin to form a description that she could tell Impa if she ever returned home. It would probably be over cold tea and buttery shortbread, refreshing against the hot end of August in Hyrule. Impa would smile, then laugh at some odd joke that Zelda hadn't even attempted, and she in turn would sip her tea in a form of courtly retaliation.

It was funny, the small things in life.

 _'But yes, this must be how a bird feels.'_ The water was less resistant than usual, like she were walking against a strong wind and not propelling herself through liquid. Her braid fluttered at the nape of her neck and left stray hairs curling.

Putting that aside, Zelda knew there was something else off. It was like the pool was an ocean, and despite its striking clarity the distance was tinted in a slight glow. All that could be seen were the tops of what looked like thick clusters of vines, twisting and growing until they faded into light.

Link swam gracefully beside her in a blue garment, his own mask to match hers pulled over his nose. She had no idea when he had found the time to slip it on in the short time they had been under, but he managed to fit himself into an entirely different suit of armor. He stared hard at her and pointed up, _Surface. Now._ She complied and they rose, the forest air claustrophobic when she took a breath.

They treaded water, Link patiently waiting for her to catch her breath before saying, "Are you staying up here?"

"Why?"

Link slipped the cloth down his face, "It's deep down there and you're going to need air."

She brushed a limp strand of hair from her eyes and tilted her head, "So will you."

"No. I've got this," he pulled at his collar. "A gift from the Zoras."

"Oh? What is it?"

Link gave her an odd look. "...Zora Armor." She surveyed her glassy reflection on top the water- vaguely irritated, masked and drenched.

"Well," she began, "I thought heroes named their collection."

He scoffed, "Why? Have you?" She thought briefly of the dagger at her back and frowned.

"No. Anyways," she interjected when he opened his mouth, "you do not know what I am looking for."

Link shrugged, "Tell me what it is and I'll retrieve it."

Zelda shook her head, "There is no need for that, I will provide for myself. But thank you for your consideration." He gave her an odd look but didn't say anything else, and the silence soon after became awkward.

They stared at each other until it became obvious there was nothing else to say. She nodded at him and they submerged once again, Link spiraling deep down like a fish. Zelda concentrated on the makeup of the water while Link twirled and flipped beside her, more or less showing off. She didn't want to make a fool of herself but he had brought up a good point. Now that it had come to it, she had nothing else but to test what had held her curiosity at the first submerge.

With an _'All or nothing, so they say,'_ Zelda drew a slight breath of water and filtered it through her lungs, oxygen releasing into her bloodstream, bubbles _popping_ off her lips. A smile grazed its way onto her face, _she could breathe underwater!_ Rather, this wasn't underwater but some form of limbo, a suspension between physics. She was no expert on the sort but summed it up to the dimension, though she silently grudged herself for settling on such a vague reason.

She took another sip of water through her nose and measured her senses- still intact, more than enough reason to do it again. _"Can you hear me?"_ Her voice was garbled and practically unrecognizable but Link still looked at her surprised.

"Yes. You can do that?" The mask made his voice perfectly clear underwater.

_"Not I. I believe it's the pool, you needn't bother with the suit. The water is safe to breathe in."_

His nose scrunched up beneath the mask, she could tell by the wrinkle of his brow. "I'll keep it on, easier to swim with. Besides, it fits the area better."

_"Ah, camouflage?"_

He shook his head, "No, it's blue."

She was saved from deciphering his reply when one of the vines moved. _"...Did you see that?"_

Beside her, Link had settled down and stared hard at it. "Yeah. Let's check it out?" He looked to her and Zelda dove down to where the cluster was while Link stayed above for lookout. Nothing seemed to be around for it to move, but that wasn't what caught her attention.

Reaching out, her fingertips grazed one of the spindly limbs. It didn't make sense, _nothing_ made sense here, and yet Zelda knew without any form of thought that this was the root of a tree.

 _"Link, come and tell me what this is."_ She wanted to get a second opinion.

Instantly he was at her side and the bubbles he stirred up attached themselves to the roots. He grabbed the end of one with his hand and twisted it around-

_-and it twisted back._

_Pickled Cream_ was in her hand and sliced through it before either of them could scream. The root retreated into the crawling depths, beyond the strange glow that hid the rest of the roots. A groan as deep as thunder bellowed from below them and Zelda would later swear it sounded like a giant with indigestion. The rest of the ends of tree twitched and curled before stretching out once again.

Zelda and Link glanced at each other, then at the roots and back to each other once more. "That... was a tree root."

"I believe so."

His eyes were as wide as her own. "A moving tree root."

"Probably one of thousands."

He cursed and muttered, "I hate Deku Babas", running a hand over his hat before drawing the Master Sword. Its own sacred light gleamed past the strange glow and showed the wider parts of the roots before they too were swallowed from sight, each the width of her thigh.

 _"Wait,"_ Zelda said. _"Let's not hack and slash our way through yet. The tree,"_ and here they glanced towards the surface where another had claimed its throne, " _was not violent before. I think it was only reacting to your grip."_

He quirked a brow but shrugged, "Okay. Sorry," he said, pointedly glancing down at the bundle of roots. "I wasn't trying to offend you."

He sounded heartfelt but the roots didn't even twitch. He frowned, "Never mind." One of the roots flicked, and the movement soon grew into a ripple that spread to the dozens of other tips. They twisted and flicked before they all grew still and retracted into the light below, leaving Zelda and Link floating above a vast desert of light.

Link stirred the Master Sword ( _'Almost like a spoon,'_ Zelda thought) into the glow, cutting past to where the roots hid. They reached down further than she thought, thickening after a few knots and twists. "I'll go first?" He asked, and at her nod he led the way.

Going through the roots was a nasty business. Each twig latched onto her clothes and braid like fingers. They grew at a slow but steady rate, the width of her torso to the length of her body, almost the size of a king's bed to far larger than the train from the city. Thankfully the roots had spaced out by then and they were no longer swimming through a web, instead looking at the source of the mystery.

Although it was the rational conclusion, it was still hard to believe her eyes when Zelda saw the Tree. It mirrored the one from the surface, though it was far different looking from bottom-up. The Tree lacked the vibrant glow but made up for it with the shining orbs that surrounded its branches. Each one hung suspended in the water like it were held on a thread, some shining brilliantly while others lazily dipped in and out of light.

The smothering glow did not follow them past the first layers of roots, something Zelda found particularly fascinating. It could be that instead of lighting itself up it stretched a layer of light to surround it, for whatever reason she could only guess.

Link sheathed the Master Sword and surveyed the area with narrowed eyes, "They look like moons." He spun through the water towards a soft cream colored orb, one that looked as plush as a feather. She thought he was right, they did look like moons. There was a certain feel to them, a gravity that contained more than what the physical showed. Zelda left him to swim further towards the trunk of the Tree, the trip taking several minutes just to touch the wood.

_hello._

A groan thundered below her hand. Around their haven thousands of vines and roots quivered in cracks and pinches. They slithered over themselves like snakes to a line and Zelda watched in silence as they gradually closed together.

_goodevening-_

Although to her, it wasn't in silence. The words kept pouring in and she could _feel_ them, almost like they were her thoughts but _too loud._ She continued to float by the Tree without even twitching as the roots slowly formed a bowl around the trunk.

_nicetomeetyou-_

"-ik! _Sheik!"_

_"SHEIK!"_

She didn't even notice when a flare of pink was revealed from the wood.

_hi._

The sharp sting on her face was what brought Zelda back to reality, Link in front of her. His hand was still raised and his eyes wide as if he couldn't believe what he had just done, but he didn't wait for a response and instead wrapped a hand around her wrist and pulled. "C'mon, we gotta go! _Now!_ "

The Tree was trying to close them in.

Link was leading them to a patch in the roots that was only a fourth of what had been the space. She struggled to keep up with his pace, but it soon became obvious that the most she could do was try to limit the water resistance as he effortlessly dragged her weight. They were halfway to the rapidly closing gap when she saw her.

There, nestled deep within a part of the trunk, was Peach. _Peach. In the Tree._

"Wait, wait!" She didn't bother wondering why the water no longer distorted her voice. All that mattered was getting Peach.

She tried to pull back but Link only tightened his grip. "You're... not in your right mind right now," he breathed heavy with exertion, "just trust me... on getting us out, 'kay?"

"P-Peach! _Peach!"_ Zelda flailed around until he had to let go lest risk breaking her arm. She pointed once Link looked back and didn't have to wait long for him to follow her finger. A stream of colorful words flew from his mouth in turn.

He wasted no time in diving down faster than before, leaving Zelda in the wake of his bubbles. She felt rather useless just floating there, but there was no way she could reach Peach at the rate he was going. But she could try securing their escape route.

Zelda directed her focus on the vines that had begun closing around the gap. She felt the power surging through each flake of bark and concentrated on holding it back, but it was like trying to stave off a flood. Try as she may, she couldn't even put a finger in the current without it sweeping her away, a rivulet of blood curling away from her nose for attempting it.

The gap closed.

She grit her teeth and swam closer to try again, Link swiftly pulling an unconscious Peach up from below. She looked peaceful and relatively unscathed, though there was no telling what had been done to her mind. _"_ This was the _'it'_ you were looking for?!" He was undeniably confused, but there was nothing she could do about that.

Zelda extended her palms and focused harder, gold glowing from between her fingers and thoughts of the roots unraveling before releasing it into the wood with a lightning bolt. Nothing but more blood, this time from between her clenched teeth. Her mask stopped most of it but the taste stayed.

This had never happened before. Her magic has failed in the past, yes, but never has something retaliated back. Even the odd sorcerer was easy to quell with the force of the Triforce, and those had been successors of ancient magic. Only Ganondorf had been able to conquer her, but that was after she gave up her life force to save Midna.

What _was_ this Tree?

Peach was pushed into her arms and Zelda kicked harder to stay afloat, grimacing as Link hacked at the wood fiercely. It looked like it was working for awhile, but with each cut the roots healed effortlessly.

"Alright then," Link panted, and before she could blink Zelda got a face full of green tunic. An explosion sounded from the side where Link was before he curled over her and Peach to shield them from any backlash, and one look at his face was enough to tell it didn't work.

"Sorry... for not telling you who I was looking for," she said, gaining his attention. He nodded his head, all was forgiven. Zelda was finding it hard to breathe, and it was only when Link pulled her up by the arms did she realize she was sinking.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked, taking Peach and folding her over his shoulder.

"I..." Her head _zinged_. "Yes, I may have overexerted myself. But I am well enough to continue."

Link's widened and he reached out as if to grab her face. "You're bleeding." His fingers brushed the line of her mask and it came to her in a slow build that he was going to take it off. Which he couldn't, _under any exception_ , do. She didn't have enough energy to waste on a simple charm. There was no doubt he would recognize her even though she'd be the last person he'd expect.

Zelda jerked back from his reach and he flinched. Shifting Peach on his shoulder he blinked and turned. "Did I... was that from me?"

"No," she reassured him. "It was from trying..." she waved her hand to make up for the other words. It was becoming hard to finish sentences. Link cleared his throat and glanced around, obviously at loss for words. She was as well, though for different reasons.

"I touched the Tree," she blurted. He glanced at her and Zelda kept on talking. "I touched the Tree and then everything else started happening and..." She trailed off and frowned at her unkempt speech.

Link stared at her. "Do it again."

Zelda blinked slowly before understanding his logic. _Do it again, because we've got nothing to lose and everything to gain._ One look at Peach and her mind was made up.

Paddling unevenly to the wall of roots, Zelda reached out her palms and pressed against the wood.

_ok._

It was almost poetic, the way the wood split beneath her touch.


	15. Chapter 15

_It was almost poetic, the way the wood split beneath her touch._

As soon as the roots opened wide enough, Link shuttled Zelda and Peach through at breakneck speed, Zelda being only slightly less dead weight than Peach. The Tree had taken something from her the moment she went out of her way to touch it,and it was all she could do to hold onto her last bit of power that kept her full.

She felt spent, like something tore a hole in her and she couldn't close it up. Zelda didn't know what to make of it. Never had she been rendered in such a state by a mere touch. Not even the hailed sorcerers of the south could deal a blow to her like this. The one positive was that all of the roots were devoted to creating the barrier around the Tree, thus making it a straight shot to the surface where the murky glow was mysteriously absent.

' _Almost as if it had been sucked up while we weren't looking,'_ she thought, glancing around warily for a rogue branch. If he noticed it, Link wasn't about to stop and look around. His grip on her wrist was almost bone crushing, though at the pace he was at it couldn't be any less lest he risk her slipping away. Peach sagged over his shoulder like a piece of cloth. Without her crown, her hair butchered the water mercilessly, writhing like a living thing until it hooked onto the back of Link's belt.

They broke the surface painfully fast and Zelda's head swam from the harsh glow of the surface Tree, so unlike its former soft radiance. Link grunted with the added weight now that the water wasn't there to support Peach, but he still made it look effortless when he ferried them both to the mossy shore.

Zelda was halfway out of the water when a sort of heaviness landed on her back and she slipped under, only for a second but a second to long. She heard a yell before thick hands gripped her shoulders and hauled her up, Link's face ragged and fierce when the sound of grass being crushed came from behind. Peach had begun to roll towards the water and he cursed, pinching what he could of her dress before he lugged the two of them up the slope. He growled when his flippers got in the way of running and kicked them off before continuing half-carry, half-drag them until they were met with the wall of tightly knit trees.

He placed Peach gently on the ground and let Zelda go, wiping the sweat and water off his face before saying, "I have to get those shoes, I'll be as quick as possible. _Stay. Here_." He pointed at the ground for emphasis and dashed off with his mask still pulled up, leaving her to lie on her back against the carpet of moss.

She looked to where Peach was sprawled over, still unconscious but only looking as if she were sleeping. If she had to guess, Zelda wouldn't say that Peach had been underwater for half a day.

Her mind went reeling with the possibilities.

What was the forest's job in Smash Central? In relation to Smash City? The Trees were large enough, and certainly more than powerful to guard something of value. So what could it be guarding? Who- _if there was one_ -controlled it? What else did they control? _Why was Peach in one-_

Someone- ' _No, there are more.'_ Zelda strained to turn to where some _ones_ stood just outside her sight. She could feel them, three essences ( _though one was odd, she couldn't place a finger on it)_ stalking about the forest at night. Zelda casually glanced down the hill to where Link was searching for his shoes.

Where had the light gone?

The moss, the stumps, _everything_ was dim. There was no blue light or hum from before, just the odd stillness of a forest that was and should not be. There was no telling how far away he was. She would have to act, and soon. Zelda tried to get up if only to crawl towards Peach but found that her body refused her commands. With gritted teeth she swung her weight to the side, but that only succeeded in making her more exposed, her back open to the world and face buried in the dirt.

 _'Divine comedy indeed,'_ her mind's voice supplied. _'Perhaps this is better?'_ she argued back, though it was all for naught when the voice snorted in return.

No matter, she reasoned. She was notorious for doing the impossible, who was to say she could not manage this? There were only seconds left, but hopefully Link would see the aftermath so he could whisk Peach away if it wouldn't work. Balancing what she could spend, Zelda concluded it wasn't a horrendous turn out, though if she were to be fighting for tooth and nail it wouldn't be pleasant. But it would do the job.

She gathered what she could spare ( _without dying in the pour)_ in one hand and felt it thrum while the rest of her body grew cold. Her mind clotted like cotton knots, and it followed in the same fashion that the world lost all color. Every sound became muffled like someone held a pillow to her face, suffocating and killing and squeezing-

(But that was to be expected from forcing _such_ power into _such_ a small container).

* * *

.

(S _he wondered if this was how Ganondorf had felt)._

_._

* * *

Constant.

It was a constant beam of light that once turned on refused to turn off. It was blinding and painful, warm like blood but pure like water.

When it finished and her palm hollowed out, Zelda could not blink. Her eyes were sealed open, the surface of her eye matting the lid to it. She couldn't close them if she had the strength, so she was forced to watch _Captain Falcon_ and _Samus_ drag themselves from her wreckage.

And _oh_ , the wreckage indeed! The once spiraling trees bowled over like old men as far as the eye could see, which wasn't terribly far because of the darkness. _That_ was the most prominent, she thought, for it loomed over them all like a stalking shadow, or a vulcher to the thirsty rat, ancient and unyielding but tired in its gate _._ And that was what terrified Zelda the most, for if she could squint her eyes she would certainly see a face in that darkness, an entity that was beyond them all.

She could only watch.

Samus' face was a fury of its own caliber. Her power suit- _is what Falcon called it, yes?_ \- was decimated by her magic, hardly the skin of its beetle shell left on her body. Illuminated violet patches on her under armor cast light on a sprawled Falcon in a patch of oozing mushrooms, the man groaning before gingerly pushing himself up. Samus had taken the full blast for him and paid the price.

Of all the sorts to find them, Zelda was glad enough that it had been them. Better a friend than a foe, she thought, if only said ally didn't look fit to kill. A murderous glint gleamed in Samus' eyes before she looked back at Falcon to see if he was alright. The bounty hunter then crouched back on her toes and took Peach's pulse, laying an ear next to her mouth to check for breathing. All was well when she finally said, "Toadstool is alive. Wet," and here she wrinkled her brow, "but no hypothermia."

Falcon pinched his nose suddenly, a stream of blood rushing down his wrist. If Zelda could cringe, she would. He was still experiencing some backlash.

Samus slung Peach over her shoulder with one hand and tossed Falcon a handkerchief, its white cotton quickly turning red from his nose. He sniffed, "That beam... you think it came from her?" She felt both pairs of eyes on her though she could only stare at their feet when they closed in.

Samus shrugged, she could hear it in her tone. "Don't know. Looks like it."

Falcon kneeled by Zelda's side and took her pulse, sighing at her state. She must have been a wreck, bloody and waterlogged. He dabbed at her face with his handkerchief and drop of sweat slid down his forehead and landed on her neck.

"Sam, things are getting out of control. First Mewtwo, now Peach..."

_'...Mewtwo?'_

"Things always have been, Douglass. No one's in control." And then Samus' steps trailed away. Falcon cursed and swiftly picked Zelda up, carefully balancing her in his own unsteady arms.

"Hey, I'm the one with the signal! Don't get lost out here." He looked down at her in his haste and his mask shifted like his forehead was wrinkling, a second later he stopped short with a grunt. "Hey," he muttered. "Weren't her eyes red?"

"Fal?" Samus' voice carried from the distance and Falcon pursed his lips before answering.

"Coming. Stay where you are, kay?" He shut her eyes with the palm of his hand. She felt him shuffle off as he carried her, and the light press of Samus' feet joined his own awkward ones. Two pairs of steps became the only sound in the forest, three minds and a queen and a princess, joined together by what none could seem to explain.

And none saw the wolf that followed.

* * *

_She was._

_She was one of many, many were her. She was for all and in none, no craft to call her own name. Sister gave her reason and Sister gave her will, but Sister gave her heart and she knew all would not last._

_All would fade, in the end._

Zelda woke without ceremony and found she was not alone.

It was dark, her eyelids refused to open. She wasn't in the infirmary, that much she could tell from the smooth sheets that lacked of disinfectant, but the air in the room was different enough to know she wasn't in her bedroom.

"Eh? You awake?" Footsteps muffled by the carpet came closer to her bed and the voice- _Mario_ , she placed a name- cleared his throat. "I've got some water for you." He muttered after hesitantly, "Fox said not to take it off, so..." Her crusted mask was rolled up past her chin, careful to only expose her bottom lip _(though she doubted it much cover)._ A glass was pressed against her mouth and she drank.

It must have been something more than water because she was able to open her eyes, albeit blearily. Mario smiled at her and placed the glass on a side table. "How are you feeling? Do you want another drink, some food? I could get-"

"...Pe.." Her voice cracked so she tried again, harder. "P-ch..." Goddesses, how long had she been out? It sounded like she hadn't talked in weeks.

A look around the room told her that its owner was meticulous with organization. That, or they never stepped foot in it. Bookshelves filled and set by color of spine proudly displayed an impressive array of literature. The window, a half arch with tipped overlays, showed a view of a lake with the night sky reflected on its waved surface, stars abound and reaching.

The plumber frowned. "It's me, Mario. Don't you remember?"

She must have fixed him quite a look, for he grimaced, his mustache bristling like a caterpillar on a branch. "Oh, _oh._ Yes, I have a lot to make up to you. I don't know how you did it, but you got her back for me." Here he brushed his oversized nose and stared at the spot between her eyes. "I don't know what I'd be without my princess. And, uh, she's okay. Fox is taking her home to see if that could get her back to normal. Yosh' and Lu will just miss her, now that I think about it," he pondered. "They'll prob'ly get back around night."

A door creaked open and Ike stuck his head in. "Hey, Fox is taking her now if you want to say one last goodbye." He glanced over the room and his eyes landed on Zelda before he disappeared behind the frame, Falcon and Samus replacing him. Something furry tickled her ear and she wanted to pull away, but was glad she didn't when a moment later Mario whispered a quick thanks, short but perfectly sincere, before hurrying out the door.

Zelda was uncomfortably aware of Samus' blue suit, all traces of beetle shell absent.

Falcon was all too happy to take the seat Mario had left and beamed down at her, though the effect was ruined by the cotton bandage over his nose. "Nice to see you in the land of the living. You've been out for a month."

Samus huffed behind him and he cringed, "Yeah, okay, we found you last night- ah, this morning, I guess. Calm down," he chuckled at her face. "It was just a joke. But all things aside, glad you're here."

His eyes lingered too long on her own after he said this, but he stretched a grin and continued as if it was normal, as if everything was normal. "How do you feel?"

"...G-" _crack "-_ ood." He hummed and grabbed a vial out from a pouch, a thin glass tube that seemed innocuous enough. "Drink this." She was acutely aware of the way his eyes darted across her face. Something passed by his eyes- _too quick, too small_ \- and he chuckled quietly before nodding. "I get it. Us with masks, we gotta keep them on. Never take them off, right?" He handed her the vial and faced away. One glance at Samus and she turned towards the door without complaint.

Zelda eyed their backs and sipped, frowning at its dry taste. It left her mouth feeling like it was filled with cotton, not the most pleasant of things, but she felt better and cleared her throat. "Good. Ah..." Where should she begin? "How...did you find us?" A logical question, fairly important. Although it would bring up the question of how she found Peach, that one was invariably to be asked anyways. The only difference was that she just invited it herself.

"Well, you see..." Falcon launched in a lengthy description of how he and Samus scouted the city limits after splitting from Mario- the man had a way with pipes- and they felt the mountains took precedence next. But Samus, in all her sixth-sense hunter style (Falcon's words), felt that they needed to check the meadows first. "...and then next thing we know, the two of you are spread out like playing cards and Sam's a fist away from blowing up. I was a little less than a finger, I s'pose." He shrugged, the big grin on his face making the gesture goofy and cocky at the same time.

She met Samus' eyes on the path of Falcon's shoulder. "I apologize... for your suit. I meant no harm to allies."

Samus gazed back evenly, "No harm done. My Power Suit is fine." She stood up and a flash of light emitted from her, an orange shell replacing the woman that was there seconds before.

Falcon grinned, "The suit is synced up with her DNA, er... Her body, you know? It heals itself up pretty easily. Pretty neat, huh?" Samus _beeped_ before reverting back to her blue suit, and only when she leaned back against the wall did Zelda notice her haggard face.

"Have either of you rested?"

Falcon brushed off an invisible spec of dirt from his shoulder and grinned, "Nah, we're hardy people. How else could we do our job?"

He leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows on his knees. "But you don't seem so like it. What happened before we found you two?" And there it was. A glint in his eye that the mask only accentuated, jaw set and mouth tight. Behind him, Samus folded her arms but didn't move from her spot.

Zelda had been thinking of her story since she woke but it all passed when her voice spoke without accord. "I was called and collected. Moons broke open to shell forth the stolen."

 _Panic._ A primal jolt that send blood rushing through her veins, a queer feeling setting over her mind.

_She couldn't control what was coming out of her mouth._

Falcon furrowed his brows in confusion and turned back to Samus. "What? Are you getting any of this?"

Samus was by her bed in an instant and glared over her. "Were you sent by someone to steal Peach?" Her voice was clipped like the artificial word pastings from outside. _"Who do you work for?"_

Zelda's voice answered back distantly as if she belonged somewhere else entirely, and she supposed she did. "I steal no fruit, I serve none but the gods." Cryptic. It was not lost on her that she had been drugged by the vial. It wasn't working by the tell of their faces.

Falcon grunted and stood, pacing the room fervently in a bright mesh of color. "Who are your gods? Is Master Hand your god?" He was agitated, he ran his finger over his helmet like it were hair.

She didn't need truth-telling to answer honestly. "Nayru, Farore, Din. I serve under the Sisters."

Samus answered after a moment, "What do the Sisters do?"

"They create and destroy, rejoice and despair."

Falcon groaned. "She has to be talking about some actual religion back on Hyland- _Hyrule_. Sam, I don't think-"

" _Who else?"_ Samus interrupted him, and it was the first time Zelda actually saw her with something other then blatant fury or calm. "Who else could it be? Fox isn't saying anything and he's the one-" She glanced down at her and visibly collected herself. "None of us know why _s_ _he's. Here._ " She pointed her finger at her and Zelda imagined a bolt of lightning shooting off the tip. "And now Peach is gone and... I've enough of the fox's sly. Either you're with me or with him."

Falcon jerked back and stared as if seeing a new face. Samus twitched at his look, "I don't- You know what I mean."

He rubbed his eyes, the gloss of his helmet squeaking against his gloves. "Do I?"

After a bout of excruciating silence which Zelda felt all too heavily, he grunted with resignation. "Ask her something basic. We'll start there." Samus' eyes shone over, but she covered it well in a cool mask as she faced the bed once again.

"What's your name?"

Zelda's eyes flew wide. "Ze-" _no no no_ _what would she do what would happen to Hyrule to the worlds to_ all _?_

 _...to_ him _?_

_(nonono)._

"What is going on here?"

A beautifully loud, saving growl of a voice drowned out her confession, a slighter and hidden figure slipped in behind before melting away. Zelda had never been happier to see Fox's face. The same couldn't be said of Samus and Captain Falcon, the latter at least having the decency to look ashamed. The former, the _Nayru-defiler,_ met his steel glare with one of her own. "An interrogation," she answered smooth as marble. "One that should've happened a long time ago."

Fox grit his fangs; she had never seen irises so slit and thin. A layer of fur fanned out around his neck. "Shut your _vermin mouth."_ He hardly resembled anything close to human in that moment.

"C'mon Sam," Falcon guided Samus out by the arm and shot an apologetic glance to Zelda. "We- I don't have any excuse for that. But we can't take any chances. I... can't lose another one, you know?" He left pulling the bounty hunter out, and neither looked back when they crossed over the door.

Fox let them leave with his back hunched over with no sign of straightening. He panted, "Give me a minute."

Several _(hundreds)_ of calming breaths later he occupied the chair by her bed and still sported a harried look. "What did they do?"

"I drank of secrets to spill." The vial hadn't finished its play, then. Fox glanced at her with a curious gaze and something buried underneath, but he looked away, retracting his claws that were forcing their way through his gloves.

"I'm leaving. I was supposed to be gone by now, but Mario told me you were awake and I hoped to figure something out of this whole mess, but... I guess its worse than ever." He gritted his teeth and inspected a flower pot towards the corner of the bedroom.

"You know when life just digs its heel in your back? Where you're face in the dirt and grasping at straws- and who the heck needs straws when you're beat up? I mean c'mon, you need a blaster or a couple of Adam bombs. But the straws aren't straws at all but worms, and then you've got a foot crushin' you and nasty squiggles between your fingers that won't stop squiggling. You know?"

 _'I... might not have worded it that way, but yes,'_ she thought, but her mouth betrayed her and said, "I have felt triumph and despair but never in fists of worms."

Fox scrunched up his face at her before putting two and two together. "They gave you truth serum."

It was a truth of _they_ and a confession in _serum._

His nose twitched once, then twice. He watched her with a blank face, she watched him with stained eyes. "I need you to do something for me." Fox slowly leaned in till his whiskers tickled the shell of her ear. "Don't ever be alone.

"Stay in the center of rooms, never near walls or doors unless you're making an escape. I won't be here but I have ways of making sure others are. And for your sake, trust your instincts. Or what little you have," he muttered. "I get the feeling you're used to doing your own thing. I respect that. But I know how this place works, and if you don't listen to me I can't keep you safe." He was quiet for a moment and she imagined he was weighing his next words. "Things are getting out of _hand,_ Sheik. And I'm gonna need you for when they do."

He pulled away from her bed and surveyed the room. "Like it? It's mine. You're welcome to use it anytime. Fact, how about you stay here till I'm back? I'll fix up the code to allow you in, keep others out."

Zelda swallowed and the edge of dryness disappeared, something else taking its place. Fox fiddled with the window, pulling up icons and pictures she didn't know it was capable of. "When I get back, you're going to tell me all about where you found Peach, right?"

"Yes." She was relieved to find the serum had finally worn off, otherwise she wasn't sure what would have come out. She didn't know what to make of this new sense of wariness she gained around Fox. He didn't seem to notice anything was off, sparing her a grin before tapping a few options on his window.

He looked her over and added several things to the menu before closing out, the starry view returning. "You're going to be safe here. There won't be any fighting for you except on stage, 'kay?" He grinned tightly, "McCloud's oath of truth."

After Fox left, Zelda wondered who he was reassuring.

She shifted in the bed and let herself breathe.

One, two.

_(All is calm in this great big world)._

"Melo."

The Sheikah tripped from the shadows and hastily bowed. "My Queen, I returned only after McCloud-"

"Yes. Find out all that you can on the forest off the meadow. Every picture, any gossip- bring me tale and talk of Captain Falcon and Samus Aran. And..." she paused, tasting the foreign name like a cup of tea, "... _Mewtwo._ "

She pushed off the bed and waved away Melo's attempts to help, enjoying the burn in her bones. It made her feel alive, casting away every cut and dirt of the last few days altogether. She swayed on her toes but managed to stumble to the window where the dual elements lay of water and sky never ending. "I want everything you find."

"O-of course, Your Majesty."

"Sheik," she gently corrected him. "We're not in Hyrule now, are we?"

She heard him shift behind her. "No, Sheik. We are far from home."

Zelda remembered something, something _peculiar_ , and it bothered her. "Were you in the forest with Captain Falcon and Samus Aran?" She looked over her shoulder and he shrunk from her gaze.

"N-no, I have only just arrived... You were in a forest?"

She didn't answer but let the question settle between them, mumbling to herself. "I see."

More uncomfortable shifting behind her, then Melo's hand stretched out next to her, a sealed letter in his worn gloves. "From the Captain... I will return with what I collect only when I know it is satisfactory." She nodded without turning and felt him disappear as faintly as before like a needle through cloth.

She stared unblinkingly at the letter before tearing it open, allowing herself to sit back on the bed to read. It was Impa's spidery script in the Hylian royal ink, a deep blue that shimmered like gold.

_My Sweet,_

_How fareth thee?_

_T'was not long ago we goodbye'd, o, 't wishens me of invite! May haply Earl Hanta t'were join, wouldn't thee make haste?_ _But of course!_ _Tea at high sun, bring own's cup of coinage._ _Merrily, merrily, I bid thee! Merrily all shall drink of wine._

_Zelda Nohansen_ _Harkinian XXXVI_

This was a code. Impa never wrote in such a way, and neither did she _(if Impa was impersonating her style, she was doing a poor job)._ No, only the first line told her it was from her guard at all. Zelda rubbed her eyes with calloused fingertips and squinted down at the letter. _'...wishens me of invite!'_ Did she want her to return to Hyrule? But that was almost as ridiculous, she knew the importance of her mission.

Now what was this of Earl Hanta for tea at high sun? The man easily disturbed both of them enough to make it on their watch-list of nobles and foreign dignitaries. A spy of theirs had infiltrated his line of servants to keep a close eye on them. So that would mean...

The letter slipped through her fingers with a strangled gasp. _"Merrily all shall drink wine..."_ She whispered. The quote was from _The Legend of Groose,_ the fable of a yellow-eyed barbarian who conquested his way through ancient Hyrule, promising the residing races of people foods and valuables if they surrendered. But they never had the choice, as at High Sun, the summer's hottest month, he ordered all slaves to be executed as a cleansing of the land.

The fable was a stain on Hyrule's history, thus scholars discounted it as mere legend when it had the makings of a true happening. But now, _now_ it could be reality once more. Was Impa saying the Earl of Hanta was possibly making his move? _'...bring own's cup of coinage,'_ could mean a bribery, but not from Impa. It had to be a promise of endurance: to hold out until she could arrive with their safety in her hand, their only treasure that mattered.

She sighed, _'When did my country fall to where we could only scrape by with the skin of our backs?'_ She could not complain, her era of reign had had a surprisingly good track record compared to her other ancestors. But she was running out of time. If she were to take Impa's words at face value, she only had till the next summer before the Earl's armies would arrive. That gave her a little less than a year to learn how to stop whatever evil was growing in this dimension.

She hid the letter on her person to burn later, for her internal power needed time to recuperate before she attempted anything above her simple charm. She had no doubt her disguise flickered in the forest for Falcon to see, and if he and Samus were blatantly against her she had to double her guard.

Zelda tore off a parchment from a pack off the side table and grabbed a pen from the desk. She would have Melo deliver the note once he returned. A note of advice, criticism. Get well soon's or a simple thank you. None would suffice. Instead, she settled for the last line of Groose's legend.

_Till the break of summer to dawns meet, ay, all shall drink of wine._

_'Sacrifices must be made,'_ her diplomatic side reasoned, _'in a time of war.'_ But they were not in a time of war _here_ , for now.

Or so she thought.


	16. Chapter 16

Zelda's stay in Fox's room confirmed a few things. One, her room was built for a rookie. It was adequate, surely, but nothing compared to the standard of his. There was enough room to walk comfortably between furniture, unlike hers which would suffocate any claustrophobe. And the window? She spent enough time tinkering with it to discover the shape could be molded _by hand._ It had only been several days since she woke up there, yet she had already discovered so much.

But despite the grandeur of the fox's hole, Zelda was ready to be out the door.

She eyed Mario at the bed side, his hat pulled over his eyes to help him sleep. _"Zzzz..."_ After Fox left, a guilty-looking Mario replaced him. He hadn't said anything about the Captain or Samus, but she read it in the way he wouldn't meet her gaze. When he questioned her about finding Peach she stuck to the bare bones of the truth: she snuck out, had a hunch and found the princess unconscious near a pool of water. At least it would explain her wet dress.

Mario had written her answers down.

She slowly shifted upright and rolled out her neck, smoothing the kinks out before testing her arms. _'Good,'_ she smiled to herself. Her power had mostly returned. But she frowned, testing its thrum in her veins. It felt different, the energy wild and foreign to her. Zelda shifted to the side of the bed and stood, lightly stretching.

"Hnnuh?"

She cringed and looked to where Mario jerked his head up, scanning the room until his eyes landed on her. "Oh! You shouldn't be up!"

He made to stand but she stopped him by the shoulder, "No need for that. Would you mind if I go for a walk?"

Mario's eyes widened, a grin plastering itself on his face. "Huh? Oh, sure! Hey, you wanna meet my bro?" Zelda quirked a brow but Mario only nodded his head fervently, "I mean, I'll go with you on your walk. And we can go meet up with my bro and Yoshi. It'll be great!" He offered her a hand and she smiled, lightly confused but overall amused at his excitement. It was palpable, rolling off him in waves as he guided her down the halls.

He took her down a hallway she hadn't known existed, one that spiraled down slopes and stairs until it flattened off in a dimmed room. The carpet had taken on exaggerated colors of purples and oranges at this point, splotches of dark greens that managed to look even worse when lumped together in shapes. Zelda covered her nose beneath her mask; the cloth didn't forestall the scent of feet and butter.

Mario trecked on, oblivious to her distaste. "Yosh' and Lu love the Arcade. Fact, they're about the only ones who come out of the the brawlers." She made a sound between a _hmm_ and disgust as they passed a puddle of... something.

"Oh? And what does one do in the Arcade?"

"Well, they- Ah, here."

And Zelda found out what was done in the Arcade. A... reptile of sort- ' _Dragon?_ _No, no wings'-_ hunched over a discarded plate of nachos next to a screen of sorts. She had seen Wario inhale a plate of them the other day so she looked away, nausea winning over her curiosity. Beside it sat the most deranged, bedraggled man she had seen since walking the streets of Smash Central. He was dressed in a green sleeved shirt smeared with the same cheese as the chips, his gloved fingers occupied with mashing the buttons on the board he sat in front of. The screen atop cast its beam across the two.

Mario reached behind the board and tugged on something, a second later the light went out and was replaced by an angry cry. " _'Ey_ , I was on the final lap!" A matching trill sounded from the lizard, both stopping short once taking a good look at them.

"Bro!"

"Lu!"

They collided in a mesh of red and green into a hug, Zelda standing off to the side with only the company of the lizard. She glanced out the corner of her eye at it and it jerked its head her way, eyes blinking owlishly. It _grinned._ She swallowed and resolutely stared at the brothers until they took notice of her. "Sheik," Mario began with a rosy smile, "This is Luigi, my lil' bro."

Luigi blushed and wiped off his hands before extending a hand to her. "N-Nice to meet you, She." Mario whispered in his ear and his eyes went wide, "Sheik! Sorry, heh."

Zelda took his hand with a gracious smile and hoped he could see it. "It's nice to meet you as well."

Something warm nudged her back and Zelda glanced over her shoulder only to come face to face with a pair of bulging eyes.

" _Yoshi!"_

She jerked back and the brothers chuckled. "That's just Yoshi saying hi," Mario said. "He's no baddie." She nodded absently, twisting her face but to no avail, Yoshi doggedly pursued her.

"Is he a Pokemon?"

"Nah, just a dinosaur," Mario answered, Yoshi cocking his head. With no warning his tongue shot out like a dart and Mario yelped, dodging it barely. "No, _no!_ We've been through this before..." The two went on to bicker back and forth in a mixture of words and trills, tongues and flailing arms and Zelda thought it best to turn away.

Facing Luigi, who looked far too nervous once he noticed her, she laughed softly and asked, "Are they always like this?"

The younger brother shrugged, "Well sure. Mario is always how he is and Yoshi is too, so together they're always the same." They stared at each other for a few seconds before his face flushed and he faced away. She frowned and remembered what Peach had said at _Dream Land's Café_ , _'...he's delicate in ways that his brother isn't.'_ She hadn't been exaggerating.

"Thank you for enlightening me, Luigi. That was a lovely thought," she smiled. He met her eyes but before he could say anything Mario and Yoshi returned from their squabble.

"So," Mario huffed, "want to go to the Common Room?"

* * *

The Common Room was a bliss to return to after the Arcade. Although, Zelda noted, the cheese stains were easily visible on Luigi and Yoshi in the better lighting. The two didn't seem to mind, both happily carrying themselves with a bounce in their step to the crowd of sofas. She eased herself on one and grabbed a buttoned cushion to hug, resting her chin on it as she surveyed the room. Red crouched near the corner of the room on a pillow, his Pokemon nowhere in sight. Diddy Kong hung from one of the many lights on the ceiling not far away. A _crash_ sounded from above and Pit soared past, cheekily waving at the monkey who was knocked aside by his wings.

"You look to be enjoying yourselves." Ike walked up to their nest of cushions, a slight grin playing on his face.

He shook hands with Luigi and nodded to Yoshi, "It's good to have you both back."

Luigi yelped at his grip and Ike frowned, letting go abruptly. "I apologize."

He glanced at Mario with a brow raised, but the older plumber only shook his head and grinned with practiced ease."Have you read up on this morning's news?"

"Which one? _Fire Flower_ or _The_ _Daily Drop_?"

Ike glanced around, his eyes locking on hers for a fraction. She frowned, there was something... _off_ about him. Granted, he had remained aloof during the times she had spoken with him, but this was different. She hadn't forgotten that he drew Mario away from her room, by accident or not, allowing the Captain and Aran complete access to her vulnerable form.

Mario stood and gestured Ike to follow him, the two making their way into an alcove. With Yoshi off and conversing with Diddy Kong, Zelda was left alone with an obviously uncomfortable Luigi. The poor man looked horrified once he realized their predicament and studied the tasseled pillow at his feet as if it were made of gold- which, now that she _really_ looked, actually could have been.

"How long have you been in the tournament, Luigi?" She didn't fancy sitting in silence.

He jumped, made the mistake of looking at her and flinched when she leaned in. "Oh! Uh, a couple years. F-Four I guess, but that's counting both tournaments." At her silence he added, "Eh- you know, yeah?"

"Hm?"

"Huh?" He tilted his head at her, momentarily distracted by her confusion. "The first tournament, before it closed from the accident three years ago." She motioned for him to go on and he fiddled his thumbs, "You...you don't know?"

She shook her head, "I know the tournament had been closed, but only that. Please tell."

He gave her an incredulous look and asked, "But how could you have not known and applied? Gee, and you made it in!" Luigi scratched at his mustache, "I... I guess it starts like this.

"Four years, well... I guess I already told you the amount. Heh. But four years ago I made it in the tournament. My bro and Peach, they were already in from the year before. So, they've been here five years. They were recruiting, you see. They as in the, uh, tournament heads..." His thumbs stopped twiddling and rested in his lap. "Anyways, I got in the tournament, and even though I was later it was still a fresh competition. It was a big deal back then, just as big now. Because all the dimensions had a place to coexist, you know? Sure they were still fighting, but at least it was watched over."

"The dimensions fought against each other?"

Luigi blinked. "Of course. I-I mean, anytime new people come in there's going to be a fight. Now, uh, it's pretty okay. It kinda helped that some of Smash Central's locals look like some other world's people. You _do_ know that not everyone's from a different dimension, right?"

Zelda pondered the fact. It made sense, and she wasn't too proud to say it made the matter far easier to understand. "Some of the brawlers are from the same dimension but different country, yes?"

Luigi nodded, "Oh, some from different _worlds._ Like planets, you know? Different galaxies too. DK and Diddy live not too far from the Mushroom Kingdom. Don't get me started on our other planets. Mario could probably tell you a bit from his trip around the galaxy.

"From what I remember, Samus and Falcon live in the same galaxy, and I think Fox and Falco are from the same dimension as them. Galaxies away though, too far to have ever heard of each other before coming here I'd guess. I know Ike and Marth are from the same universe. Where are you from again? You look like you'd belong there."

Fox was from the same realm as Samus and the Captain? Zelda rubbed her eyes, she was wrong before. This made all sorts of matters more muddled than she'd like. "I am from Hyrule," she answered his question slowly. Luigi had noticeably brightened while he explained the worlds to her, but all of that energy dropped out the moment she spoke. He jerked back, the horror from before returning.

" _H-Hyrule?_ But you seemed kinda nice!"

"I like to think I am," came her reply.

"Oh, uhm... Anyways," Luigi grimaced, "the uh, Pokemon are all from the same dimension, along with Red. Though I guess you already guessed that. Heh." He shifted in his seat before continuing, quieter than before. "But some are from different countries. I guess Mewtwo was a ways away from the rest."

 _Mewtwo._ There was that name again. Zelda straightened, fingers intertwining. "And who is he?"

A fidget, then a cough. She frowned, recognizing where this was going. It was human- _fox, mushroom, dinosaur-_ nature to shy away from bad news. To avoid eye contact, fold over or overcompensate in posture were common, to be expected of any bringer. And as a long time _receiver_ of unfortunate realities, Zelda grew accustomed to the tells.

"Mewtwo... is the reason for this. _All_ of this." Strain built up in the tendons of his neck like rope. _"_ Mewtwo died."

She rose her eyebrows. So the accident was the death of Mewtwo, a Pokemon. "How?"

Luigi shuddered, pulling his cap over his eyes. "N-No one knows... They found the body at the old Pokemon Stadium stage after hours, heart as still as a rock. All I know is dead people usually mean _ghosts_ , a-and..." A hand clasped over his shoulder and he yelped.

"Whoops, sorry," Mario smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm going down for lunch with Ike and Yoshi."

Luigi stood and stuttered, "O-Oh, I'll come with."

He looked down at Zelda and Mario inquired for him, "You coming?"

She smiled politely and shook her head. "Maybe later. I have some unfinished business I have to attend to."

The older brother nodded but frowned, eyeing her carefully. "Alright, but don't stray far. Finish that business soon." Luigi looked at him oddly but Mario stood his ground, waiting for her to nod before leading away.

She found his concern touching but took her time in making her way to Fox's room, pondering all that Luigi told her. It didn't surprise her that a death of a smasher caused the tournament to be canceled. She figured something serious enough would have to happen to effect an event of its scale. In fact, she was mostly surprised that there hadn't been mention of more deaths. It was _Smash Central,_ of course there would be smashing involved.

No, what surprised her the most was the _manner_ of the death. The body was found at a stage after hours? Cause of death unknown? _'All have called it an accident,'_ she mused, _'yet they don't know how?'_ She pulled _Pickled Cream_ out of its sheath, sat on the plush bed and stared at the blade.

She had barely made headway on anything. Every question she had answered produced dozens more, revealing a whole network of mysteries she could only see the silhouette of. Everyone had their secrets, she supposed, and she resigned herself to only learning some. But the other _some_ begged to be learned. Narrowing her eyes, she sheathed the dagger and searched around the room until it became obvious _it_ wasn't there. She would check later, she decided.

After her other business was taken care of.

The dining room was unsurprisingly empty by the time Zelda made it down. Empty save for the infamous gluttons Wario, King Dedede and Kirby, but they were a given. She still hadn't met any of them formally, and though all were in her vision and Kirby was decidedly cute, the way they inhaled the food made her put off the introductions for a little while longer.

With two meat pies, one in each hand, Zelda made her way up to the gardens and found a nook by an old oak. She was in the middle of unwrapping one when the man she had been waiting to see sat across from her on a slab of rock. Link looked her over, wordlessly accepting the meat pie she handed him.

A simple charm molded her nose and mouth, leaving her free to flip down her mask. Aside from a subtle eye shift, Link hid his curiosity well. Amusingly so. As he unwrapped his she took a bite of her own, the saucy pork thick enough to garner the time to think.

"Before you tell me anything, I'd like to say good afternoon." His voice swept away the silence like a broom would brush aside dust. She tilted her head at him questioningly but he shifted into a more comfortable position. "Now, go on."

She told him everything. Beginning with the news of Peach's disappearance, the entire story sounded almost like a dream to her ears. She told him of her mad dash to the abandoned Ballroom with Fox to gather a search team. Of her suspicions of Snake, whom she discovered had at least two disguises and was hiding around the city. The feeling in her gut that told her to search the forest.

She told him about the voice.

His face, which had been held carefully blank as she spoke, was now etched with lines between his eyebrows. "Voices?"

She shook her head, "No, just one. You felt something, did you not?"

"Well, yeah. Like a pulse, but I didn't hear a word." He didn't say anything else, for which she was glad. It meant he was taking her seriously. "There's... a story of a tree guardian of old from my village," he began slowly. "It's name was The Great Deku Tree, and _it_ spoke. Maybe it's like the same thing here."

She remained silent for a moment, her eyes flickering towards the knots in the wood at her back. "The Hero of Old was said to have grown near The Great Deku Tree," she finally replied.

"So it's been told."

He folded the foil from his meat bun and she handed him her own, knowing he would use it more than herself. "I followed you back," he said quietly. Something about him changed; he seemed smaller, younger. "I came back too late, but I knew they were your comrades and that you would be safe with them. And I followed in case they weren't, so you had nothing to worry about."

Not knowing what to say because it turned out she wasn't _entirely_ safe, Zelda smiled softly. "I was not worried, I-"

"You're lying." He scowled, "I only want you to know that I wouldn't have left you to fend for yourself. I'm better than what people say."

She frowned before remembering who this was. Of course he would know what they all thought, the man had Hylian ears and at least half a brain. "I'm better than what you think as well, then. I wouldn't think you the type to leave a lady to fend for herself."

Link flashed his teeth in a grin and chuckled, and for the second time in two days she marveled at the sound. He stretched his arms and rolled out his neck, and for a second she thought he was going to stand up. He sighed deeply instead, resting his arms on his knees with a grunt. "So what do we do now?"

"It's not too late for you to turn back," Zelda said, fixing him with an even gaze. The tides were turning, and with recent events she was getting a hint of where she stood in the midst of it all. She knew she needed help, it was becoming more obvious every day.

But she couldn't ask any more from him, the one who had already given everything.

Zelda moved from her spot at the oak and crouched in front of him. "You can walk out those doors and forget everything I've told you. Go back to your life at Hyrule, or the tournament or wherever else you may keep it. But do not imprison yourself in the cage of duty." He examined her silently, humming to himself as he looked out the glass walls of the garden.

He cleared his throat, "I'm involved with this as much as you are. This world is shifting." He narrowed his eyes, not in anger or worry but genuine curiosity. "I can feel it. Can't you? Something big is on its way, and I want to meet it face to face when it arrives."

Link stood and brushed off his clothes, "I'm not going to forget, and I'm not going back. Don't think of it as my _'duty',_ I'm finished with that. It's just what I want to do." Zelda would never tell him, but it was her personal opinion that no Hero of the past or present could avoid being used as a tool. Just as the bearer of Wisdom was endlessly marked in royalty and Power relentlessly pursued Ganondorf, so it would burden the Hero. They would never have rest from their innate sense of justice, be it righteous or misplaced.

Link mistook her moment of silence as hesitation and smiled reassuringly. "You won't even notice me. Just think of me as... some hired muscle."

She quirked a brow but nodded, standing as well. "We-"

A stretch of white curved past the hallway, and from her vantage in the garden Zelda could see Master Hand crawl by. The long, spindly fingers smoothly guided the palm, operating like intricate spines of a machine. The index finger twitched, faltering in front of the other appendages. Zelda held her breath as he gradually lifted himself from the ground, the space between air and fingertip so slight it was almost an illusion. He pulled back, almost as if he were tugged by a string, then flashed around the corner like a hound.

She blinked, glancing over at Link who saw him as well. He stared off into the hallway, "...What were you saying?"

Zelda cleared her throat, unsure of what to say. She hadn't seen the Hand since the day she arrived. She could imagine Fox at her side, tail bristling with his needle eyes searching, always calculating on a sharp grin. It was obvious how he would respond. But Link? He hardly seemed fazed.

Her eyes wouldn't leave the spot where the Hand left. "I..." She licked her lips, testing the waters. "I think Master Hand may be a part of that movement you were speaking of."

Link's chainmail rang as he brushed down his tunic once more, eyeing her once he pocketed the foil. "Yeah, me too." He didn't expand on it, and she didn't make him.

Instead Zelda nodded once, leading the way out of the garden. Link stepped into place at her shoulder like she expected him to and they trailed down the halls. She admired his willingness to follow even if he was kept in the dark, but the trait left her feeling the slightest bit unbalanced. "We're heading to my room," she explained. "I have a few belongings I would like to retrieve before we plot our next step."

She hadn't returned to her bedroom, Fox's advice not having fallen on deaf ears just yet. She knew it was dangerous to return on her own, even if she _were_ in the shadows. She supposed Aran's tech would be able to sense her anyways and she wouldn't be caught now for her carelessness.

Static crackled from the ceiling, a flat and tinny voice announcing, " _zssst_ All brawler-centered fights have been canceled for tomorrow. Assistant Trophy matches and _Target Smash!_ are proceeding as normal. We request that no brawlers leave the premises until further notice, _zssst."_ They were silent for a moment, both processing the new information.

"You think it's because of Peach?" Link muttered, quiet enough that she was certain only Hylian ears could have picked up. A pair of Toads shot Link a terrified look and clung to the walls to give them more room, not that it was needed. The hallway was wide enough to fit a crowd comfortably.

They stepped into the elevator and only then did Zelda answer. "Yes. For what purpose, I haven't an idea."

Zelda frowned, relaying the announcement in her head. _Assistant Trophies._

 _"_ I have a match the day after tomorrow," Link said, and Zelda stored the phrase away for later before inquiring,

"Oh? Against whom?"

The elevator _dinged_ open and they continued along their way, down the familiar blue hallway of her floor. More Toads passed by them, a small group cowering to the side as they passed. She looked at them questioningly, opening her mouth to say something but Link beat her to it. "Meta Knight." He smirked, fingers twitching as if to reach for the Master Sword. "He's a swordsman, specializing in aerial attacks and quick as his size suggests. He will be a worthy adversary."

"Have you fought him before?"

A nod follows. "Yeah, I've fought just about everyone here. You'll find out soon enough that not all the brawlers go against everyone. Only some do, those that can manage to fight without the crowd raging. Like Mario. He could go against the Ice Climbers and Kirby in one match and no one would bat an eye. But for me, and I'll assume you as well... We won't be doing that any time soon."

"Why is that?"

Link watched her out of the corner of his eye. She saw his pupils dilate once, then twice. It could have been the shift in lighting as they turned the corner to her corridor, or perhaps a side effect of his wolf form in this realm. She wouldn't know for some time, though, for she refused to look with absolute determination. She didn't want to confirm that they looked absolutely _feral._

"We're-"

A tug of lip, exposing white teeth like pawns on a chess board.

"-dangerous."

This time she did look at him, alarm ringing in the back of her throat. Link's face then shifted ever so slightly, his eyes resting past her shoulder and hand grasping for the hilt of his sword. Zelda slipped a fan of needles into her palm without a second thought and calmly turned around.

"We've got a problem." Snake was planted by her door, feet spread with arms folded tightly across his chest. Behind him, the room next to hers was unlocked and the side of a knocked over dresser could be seen from the doorway. "You see," he stepped forward and Link unsheathed the Master Sword. The taller man's face betrayed no fear, rather a look of frank annoyance. "Someone's been in my room, and I've got a hunch on who it was."

He stepped closer and Zelda tilted her head to the side. She recognized the symbol on the door now, the leaping fox identical to her brawl announcement. "I can assure you," she began slowly, softly, though the needles didn't leave her palm. "I haven't stepped foot on this floor the entire day."

Snake huffed a laugh, his face crinkling in a mirthless grin. "Prove it." His face dropped all pretenses of a smile. "Or this will get ugly."

A shift of green signaled Link backing her left, the movement nearly silent but loud in the fact. With the serpent at her front and a wolf at her back, Zelda did the first thing that came to mind. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her room key, placing it in the lock with a twist. The door opened to chaos.

Although she only brought her pack and its meager contents, her rolls of bandages and cloth and needles and knives made walking through almost impossible. Snake whistled behind her, a high siren sound, and picked up the casing left over from her ceiling lamp. Someone had slashed her bedding, leaving tufts of cotton and feather lying in piles over the carpet. Her dresser had been pushed on its side, the side table smashed to unrecognizable bits. She felt a tinge of horror once she realized that her mother's ivory comb was missing from her torn pack.

_'Oh, Goddesses...'_

"Link..." She croaked out, earning a jerk of the head from the two men in her room. "I... My comb-" She broke off and began stirring through the mess, her smaller needles pricking themselves through her gloves.

A strong, sturdy hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her back, forcing her to stop digging. "Hey, don't worry. We'll find it. You look over there, 'kay?"

Link pointed to the corner by her destroyed bed, ignoring Snakes grumbling of, "I didn't volunteer." Dots of red colored her gloves once she pulled out the needles and tore through the cotton of her bed, hearing the same from Snake who turned over the dresser as if it were a pillow. A few curses followed when he stabbed the tip of his finger through one of her needles lodged in the side.

They must have spent well over an hour looking through her room despite its relatively small size. Snake was the first to drop back on his haunches; neither she nor Link could blame him. "What's so important about this comb, girl?"

"...It was my mother's."

She wouldn't say he looked apologetic, because something about Snake screamed _No regrets!_ , but she would later swear that his face regressed in age, the hard lines around his frown melting the slightest bit away. He was still frowning, though, once he muttered, "I'll go report our break-ins, see if we can get some damage control in this hell hole."

He slithered out the door, abandoning Zelda and Link to the war that was her bedroom. Link crouched beside her, and for a while the two stayed in a silence that couldn't be called comfortable nor awkward, but rather a just-was. It was the type of silence that held the dead along with it, that crept down funeral aisles and stunk of incense.

Zelda _wouldn't_ cry, she _wouldn't_ scream, because that was not how she handled herself and she certainly wouldn't change that now. Harkinians had a standard to maintain; she wouldn't lower it under any circumstance _(even if the world were crumbling)_. She swallowed back any hint of undesirables, put on a stone lip, and assessed the damage of her suits. She had gathered them in a pile at that point and sorted what could be salvaged. Link wordlessly bundled up the rest, her bent needles and bits of fabric, and left to presumably dispose of them.

Her pack could be mended, though, _needed_ to be if she were to carry it all to Fox's room. As Zelda ran a threaded sewing needle through, a patch of orange fur caught her eye. Mini Fox must have been found by one of the others during the mad search and set aside, for she couldn't think of any other reason why he would be propped up against the corner so innocently, so purposefully.

And then she understood. Mini Fox's little body was without scratch, his fur without muss and tail bushy as ever. She turned him in her hands, ignoring their slight tremble and the way they made the light shake in his eyes. _I've enough of the fox's sly. Either you're with me or with him._ They were Samus' words to Falcon when they interrogated her.

A creak from the door alerted her to Link's return. He stood in the doorway, the bundle absent like she expected, but something in his expression made her think he gained something in return. It occurred to her, like lightning lighting up the sky, how inane she must have looked, kneeling in splinters with the toy of a fox cradled in her hands. Zelda couldn't find it in herself to mind.

"Would you escort me to Fox McCloud's room?" She tilted her head up at him, squeezing Mini Fox till his fur poked out between her fingers. "I'm staying there for the while."

He said nothing, thankfully, and waited by the door till she gathered her belongings and strode out with her head held high. They passed Snake on the way to the elevator trailed by two R.O.B and a small army of Toads. He nodded to her, and if she were anyone else she would label it as the trick of an eye, but she was only herself, and she saw it: a speck of respect that made its way across his face before she lost sight of it.

They reached Fox's room, Zelda opened the door, and Link left.

* * *

She looked for _it_ once she closed the door, and find it she did.

_(Granted, it wasn't what she wanted most at the moment)._

An eye with a teardrop, the mark of the Sheikah was scratched lightly into the wall below the bed. She traced her hand around the eye several times before dragging her crossed fingers straight down, plucking the hidden envelope from its spot on the floor. Melo had done well with his charm.

Popping the seal open, she hastily read:

_Nothing on the forest yet._

_Mewtwo: Body was found in the spring three years ago at the Pokemon Stadium, a former stage. A replica of the stage has since been remade, causing controversy over the morality of it. Nothing much on him, very hush hush. Talk to the Pokemon Trainer or Lucario- they would know more about him._

_Captain Falcon, A.K.A Douglass Jay Falcon. 30 yrs old. Bounty hunter. Became racer at indiscriminate(?) time, sitting champion of F-Zero Grand Prix. (That's a big deal). Nothing much on his past, no pictures unmasked. But plenty of enemies. Been at tournament for a little over four years, (old and new)._

_Samus Aran, 28 yrs old. Ex-soldier for Galactic Federation and a now-successful bounty hunter. Home planet destroyed by space pirates and dragon-monster Ridley. Raised by the Chozos (i.e. a people not unlike the ancient Rito). Been at tournament for four years, (old and new)._

Along with the letter came a stash of photos and clippings. There was a disappointingly small amount of the Captain besides his many wins, but a clipping of a devastating crash looked promising enough that she tucked it in her belt to study later. For Aran, there were plenty. Her famous "unmasking", when the public found out she was female. An entire thirty pages dedicated to her planet's tragic destruction and her transition into the hardened soldier she now was. Most were news cuttings of captured criminals and her arrival to the tournament, but a small amount were dedicated to gossip and behind-the-scenes of the _"Enigma Aran"._

Zelda didn't know how long she sat in Fox's room- probably _too_ long, as she went far over Mario's request of short. Already she felt the most informed she had been since arriving in the dimension. She pinched a picture of Falcon perched by his _Blue Falcon,_ a trophy roughly the size of his body on his shoulder. Apparently it was the last victory they had been able to photograph; the man now immediately left the tracks to obtain his award elsewhere. She placed it beside a news article of a younger Samus and sat back on her knees.

Things were falling into place, and here was her chance to be at the head of it.

Ripping off a new sheet of paper from Fox's stash, she scribbled a new note beside the one she had already written for Impa, placing everything back in the envelope under the seal.

_Give me everything you have on the brawlers. All of them._


	17. Chapter 17

_There was (is and always will be) a war. Terrible and terrible forever, a crawling mass feeding off the heart of the world. A war of eyes pressed tight and thin-lined mouths, of gnashing teeth to the roots. Buckled blues and bowing skins, he lay on a bed of blood._

_She pleaded to them, don't perish. (don't leave me alone_ :terrible and terrible forever, _all said_ ) _._

_i'm not perishing, they mouthed_

_i'm coming home._

Zelda awakened to someone pounding on her door. She shook off the lingering grog of sleep and grabbed _Pickled Cream_ from its place beneath her pillow.

"Hey." It was unmistakably Link.

Though why he would be at her- _Fox's-_ room at this hour was beyond her. But she would humor him and go along for now. She rapped on the door in return, "One moment _."_ Deftly changing into her uniform, tucking her mask firmly in place, she stepped out of the room to face him in full.

His face was normal, if not mildly uncomfortable. Nothing about him looked like it came out of a crisis; she looked down the hall both ways to check for any stragglers that hung by. When her search came up empty she rose a single brow, daring him to excuse his way out of her hall.

"Remember the announcement yesterday?" Link practically mouthed he was so quiet, eyes shooting both ways before continuing. "If we plan to leave the Dome today we need to leave now."

She had thought about it the night before, but still, Zelda was impressed. "Let us remain within walls for the day. I want to understand why Master Hand would want the brawlers to stay in. And, if luck is with us, Snake might show to give us some answers." She had a feeling the Hand was making his move soon, if not today.

Link nodded, "Alright." Not knowing what more to say on the matter Zelda moved out of the doorway, ready to invite him in. Then a thought stopped her. _'What if Fox left something to pick up Link's presence?'_ It seemed unnecessary, but knowing Fox it would be completely normal.

She scrunched her nose in mild annoyance and settled with, "Shall we head for breakfast?"

Expecting his nod she smiled, turned down the hall and only had to walk a few paces before he took his place at her shoulder. Her thoughts drifted to the dream. She had been having them ever since she first stepped in the realm, but none so real as that. By Nayru, what did they mean?

"What are you thinking about?"

She stopped at the question but was saved from answering, they had reached the Dining Room without her noticing. Link swung the door open with a pointed look before leading to the breakfast table already set out. Spooning out a bit of nuts and berries onto his plate, he filled a bottle from his tunic with water and waited. She eyed the measly portion, "Is that... enough?"

He shrugged and replied, "I got used to eating small amounts on the road. It's just right for me."

She dished her own plate and they found a table by themselves, which wasn't a feat of itself. The sun was probably only now rising, and with it the rest of the Dome. At the moment there were only several Toads and a few straggling humans carrying on with their work. From her immediate perspective she could find at least three R.O.B. loitering near the walls. "How odd. That isn't a usual occurrence, is it?"

Link followed her gaze and agreed, "No." He frowned slightly but didn't seem too hung up about it so she stored the information away for later and charmed her face. She had done it so often in the past two weeks that it had become second nature to her, but the intensity of Link's eyes told her to put a little more effort in the changes. He thankfully only swept a passing glance before looking away.

"So," Link began with little flourish. "What _were_ you thinking about?"

"...I have been having the odd dream or two of late," she said through a mouth of biscuit.

"Oh?" He inquired, leaning in. "About what?"

 _'Nothing of which I can tell you,'_ Zelda thought. If the dreams were visions, or at least more than the ordinary fancy, she couldn't risk telling anyone yet. That, and she never liked to speak on anything she couldn't figure out for herself. Call it a poor trait but it was how she was.

"The same-old same-old, I suppose." He hardly looked impressed by her faulty explanation but graciously ignored it.

"Well, I've had my own share of odd dreams since coming here."

"Really?" Now her interest was peaked. She crossed her legs and leaned back, eager to hear.

He grinned in return, "Yeah, the same-old type."

"Ah, I see." Witty.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, yes..." She trailed off, eyes drifting past his shoulder to where a violent shade of blue crept to the back table. It was the first time she had seen Falco since her brawl. He spotted her and glared, pecking at the pear he held between his feathered fingers.

"Falco Lombardi, eh?" Link rose a brow, turned sideways in his chair. With their matching sets of eyes Falco seemed to back down, his neck sinking past the collar of his jacket with a surprising amount of dignity, his eyes no less fierce and beak no less sharp.

"He and Fox had a fall-through." It wasn't a question.

She nodded slowly and fiddled with her knife. "Hmm, yes. Do you think they were good friends?"

"He doesn't talk about it?"

"I've hadn't the chance to ask."

"Ah." Link muttered, his mouth lifting at the corner. "Well, Lombardi always seemed a grump to me. And Fox. So they fit each other just fine."

He popped a berry in his mouth with a grin just as a shrill yell echoed through the Dining Room. Several R.O.B had gathered around Falco and were in the middle of tugging him away. His eyes, bloodshot and heavy like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks flew open with an unbidden panic. He swung his winged arms in a wide arc but the machines were undeterred, only grasping for more of his jacket, more of his feathers. Whatever fight was in him drained out like a strainer and Falco slumped in defeat, following them with a simple _"Fine."_ They made for the door in the back.

Link stood to follow, the Master Sword unsheathed and gleaming in his hand, but before he could get far Zelda grabbed his shoulder. "Wait!" He shook her off lightly but she lunged again, gaining two fist-fulls of his tunic. "We cannot… _barge_ blindly into something like this. Let us think things through, yes?"

He swatted her hands away in a swift, irritated motion and freed himself just as the door closed shut. A gleam of triumph must have made it to her face because he glared over his shoulder. "You don't always have time to sit around and chat about it. I'd thought you'd understand that." And with that he swept past her.

She didn't answer at the time, but later _(much, much later)_ she would remember the burn of guilt and wonder if he had always known, even then.

* * *

By the time they managed to squeeze, twist and pull through the crowd that was the main floor, it became obvious that actually getting inside the viewing room was going to be quite the task. It wasn't so much the amount of people as it was their level of energy, frenzied with anger that left the air electrified. People were shouting and arguing, lizards and birds and mushrooms gurgled their fury while waving slips of paper in their fists. Others waved tablets or pockets of light that flashed spots on the grand tiles below them.

"They want their refunds," Link observed. "They came for the big fights, the brawlers. Not the Assistant Trophies."

Zelda watched as the Toads on sight tried to reason with their different customers. One man hurled himself over the dividing gate only to be bodily thrown aside by the R.O.B. on stand-by. Although it was still early morning by her count, the Dome was practically in a riot. They would not have been able to sneak out if they tried, every doorway was jammed with enough people to the point where there was hardly room for the city air to stream in. She didn't mourn that last bit. Smash Central wasn't the spitting image of cleanliness.

"This is Dina Dead with _The Daily Drop,_ and let me be the first to say _good_ morning Smash Central!" A woman dressed in a tight, bland suit smiled widely for a small screen a few feet away from them. Link flinched and grabbed for Zelda, pulling her off into the crowd with his head lowered. Zelda frowned but did the same, trying to avoid the flashing lights and tucking deeper into the throngs of people. It was all for naught.

The flashing started to erupt from the right and left, excited shouting making its way through the crowd. She muttered a fast, _"Meet me in the watch room,"_ and only had enough time to shove him through a gap before all hell descended on her.

"Good morning, I'm-"

"Sir Lady, how are you-"

"Do you have any information on-"

Screens and poles, wires with cotton tips were thrown in her path. She was surrounded by the _media._ Or, what had Fox called them so long ago? ' _The paparazzi, the gossips; all of the trash compiled together to create the ultimate garbage heap on one unlucky soul.'_ She imagined him watching, waiting to hear her speak.

Zelda rose a hand for silence, stepping forward towards a screen that read _Lucky Lakitu TV_ at the bottom. Unsurprisingly they shut their mouths and looked at her with the same expectation she received for every speech she made.

"Good morning to you all. I am Sheik of Hyrule, though that has already been made clear from before. I am happy to answer any question you may have for me if I am under liberty to say."

Instantly any control she had over the crowd left the room and was replaced with the yelling from before. She tried not to wince and picked out a question from the cacophony, "Why were the brawler matches canceled today?"

"I am not under liberty to say."

The crowd stilled for a moment and she could tell that was all they really wanted to know. She was saved from embarrassment when one brave soul thought something up.

"Why did you join the tournament?"

Zelda looked at their faces carefully before answering. She would have to think this one out. "I came here initially to fight with the most capable of all realms and to learn from their abilities under the command of my Queen. But, now that I have walked on these streets and lived with these people, I am after something far more than I previously thought. I look forward to relaying what that is when I discover the reason." It wasn't a horrible explanation.

She technically answered the question but left it open to add to her mystery factor; she was wary on who was listening. This wasn't reserved to the view of whom were in front of her but would be broadcasted all across the realm, perhaps _all_ realms capable of receiving it. And she had enemies now, people who would twist her answers and read in between her lines. Zelda couldn't afford to lie too blatantly, but the truth was out of the question. The trick was to take a little of both before spoon feeding it to the listener.

"Do you have any connection to the brawler Link?" A meek turtle asked, the one holding the screen for her with beady eyes. She considered him with a blank face until he looked down again.

"We are from the same kingdom, that is true. But I have had no engagement with him prior to this tournament." At the reporter's faces she realized her error. With a laugh she tried to dispel any lingering formality, "Our kingdom is _pretty_ large, after all. We come from opposite sides of the spectrum."

"Is there any specific reason for you coming to view the matches today?" A small toad-man wearing a broad jacket piped up from the back.

She smiled, making sure it was large enough to reach her eyes. "Why, yes. I love competitions. I may be a mere spectator, but the thrill of a fight always manages to get my blood pumping." The toad nodded enthusiastically and jotted something down on a small notepad.

"And, uh... What do you do for a living?" Zelda didn't look to see who asked the question. Any hint of flippancy wouldn't do, Zelda realized. It didn't suit her.

She stared hard into the screen, tilting her head subtly as if sizing it up. She learned the effect after hours of dealing with her tutors. Her least favorite, a man by the name of Poftin Leafhelm had a way of commanding the room with the slightest of movements. The only vital ingredients were constant eye contact and an air of confidence. Once that was mastered, the actor could look wherever they pleased and the knee-knocking would commence.

"I am a guard of Her Majesty in my realm. I protect at all costs. If the cost is death to myself or another, so be it. That is my purpose."

The crowd stilled but Zelda could feel their curiosity bubble. Not wanting to keep Link waiting any longer she bowed to the screen and with a hopefully believable apology, _"You'll have to excuse me,"_ she turned and disappeared through a crowd of tourists.

She felt the heat of light flash on her retreating back for a few seconds more until the media found their interests elsewhere. Sighing, she fiddled with her braid as she reached the black wall at the back of the main floor. She was all over the place in that interview and winced when she began to imagine Fox's reaction.

The wall was as impressive as she remembered it to be. Towering, with a heaviness that came with pure intimidation. Swallowing back her thoughts, Zelda placed her key in the wall and allowed the pulse of power to wash over her. She may have regained her power from the Tree but she couldn't replace that feeling of loss and welcomed any ounce of power to flood her. Too soon did she enter the watch room to the mixed reactions of the few brawlers there.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link to the far left corner but her view was assaulted by a wall of mustard yellow. Wario was a large man, albeit short, but she had no doubt what he lacked in height he made up with in sheer muscle. He sneered at her with his jagged mustache and stepped aside, revealing a stout little man surrounded by his pickings.

She would be lying if she said Olimar didn't fascinate her. When she had the time, Zelda had looked through a brochure listing the newest brawlers and found his picture with a small description. _The man from space! He picks, he throws, he explodes! the 'Pikmin' to victory!_ Of course, her own read _Sir Lady: A mystery._ Typical advertising.

But as she looked at the assortment of little carrot men, she couldn't picture him _"exploding"_ anything. He caught her staring and squinted back, making an assessment before leading his small troupe away. Pit dropped from the ceiling in a wide swoop that left her braid swinging from his wings.

"Hey, Sheik Lady! Nice word munching out there. But you forgot something!" He paused like he expected her to ask _What, oh glorious Pit?_ but after it became obvious she wouldn't reply he went on. "You suck!"

He stuck a thumb out with a wink and took off once more, dancing amongst the lights that hung from above. Zelda scrunched her nose at the lack of decorum and made a show of walking to the corner Link resided in, resisting the urge to fling a spare needle into the air.

"How was it?"

He didn't need to ask what she was referring to. "Just as good as any. But the beginning was something your own." He scrunched his eyebrows together, "Not many command the crowd like that. You have experience?"

She thought back with a frown to the way she commanded the interviewers, she went ahead of herself. Zelda was in her prime in front of a crowd, but Sheik was supposed to thrive in the shadows hidden away. Only Impa and the higher ranks in the Sheikah guard would have reason to publicly speak, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

Instead she nodded and was awarded with a slight frown. "Well, some usually try to push through the crowd to avoid talking to them. Others win them over with nice words which works too, in a way."

"And you?"

He smirked, something she hadn't seen much of him. "I stare." The energy in the room changed at the same time the lights in the stadium dimmed. Through the glass walls the crowd was becoming anxious, and all around people of all types leaned in with excitement. By the way Link leaned back and fiddled with his tunic she assumed he wasn't impressed.

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, are you ready?!"_

The resounding cheer was magnanimous and an impressive light show trailed from one end of the stadium to the other.

 _"Have we got a show for you."_ The stage split in half and a colossal tank of water rose, two forms settled at the bottom. _"Our two fighters will have to fight it out in our Suspension tank, rumbling and tumbling till the last fighter stands. Standard rules apply. Are we ready, Waluigi and Metroid?"_

Two flashes of light answered in turn and a spindly purple man and... jellyfish revealed themselves. That seemed to be good enough for the crowd because the count down passed and soon the two swam around each other in an admittedly confusing brawl. Wario stamped his approval with heavy feet when Waluigi managed a kick on the Metroid's head. The two continued to grapple under the water far longer than any normal human could. Neither surfaced for a breath of air. Of course, the Metroid could hardly be confused for a human, but Waluigi seemed ordinary enough. When Link tilted a brow at the scene, she knew he had noticed as well.

"H-H-H-H-e...y..."

Luigi, shaken and completely miserable by the sound of it, crept towards her and Link by the corner. "M-My b-b-bro," he noisily gulped, "w-w-wanted you to c-come over th...there." Zelda looked past his trembling finger to where Mario sat at one of the booths against the wall, waving a small object in the air with emphasis.

She looked to Link first and he waved her away, "Go on, I'll be here when you get back." Luigi's fear was abated once she stood and it became obvious she would do as he asked, but one look from Link was all it took to send him back in a frenzy. She shot him a glare and he shrugged helplessly. _I'm_ _not trying to_ _,_ Link mouthed.

Mario handed her the tablet once she reached the table. "It's Fox," he explained. "He wants to talk to you." He left with Luigi clinging to his arm to give her some privacy.

Confused as to what to do, Zelda turned the tablet around in her hands before a small but gruff voice called out. _"Put it to your ear, Princess."_

She complied and whispered, "Hello?"

A short bark of laughter answered her. _"Other way, and speak up."_

"Oh!" She flipped it and smiled, not bothering to hide the wonder in her voice. "This is incredible. I can speak to anyone like this?"

 _"That's how phones work,"_ Fox drawled.

She ignored the insult and pressed on, her voice softening inadvertently. "How is Peach?"

_"She hasn't woken up yet but I'd bet she's taking time to catch up on her beauty sleep. I mean, she's a princess. C'mon. But I got the best of the better working on her, so believe me when I say she'll be back before no time."_

"Oh." She couldn't hide her disappointment, which only succeeded in making her disappointed in herself. Herself and Link recovered fully _(well, just about- her power felt_ off _)_ , but she somehow believed that that would extend to Peach. She believed wrong. "Please send my regards."

_"We got 'em. How've you been?"_

"Well. And you?"

_"Good, good. Say, you've been hanging around with Mario and Luigi, right?"_

Basically, so she didn't feel too awful stretching the truth. "Yes. Luigi is a bit...anxious in nature."

Silence. Then, _'I saw the interview."_

She hid her wince beneath her mask. "Was it adequate?"

 _"Yeah, just about."_ She could hear the grin in his voice. _"Now fill me in on what I've missed."_

 _'What haven't_ _you?'_ Since he left the whole Dome was in an uproar. "I... Let me collect my thoughts." Silence filled the other line. "My room was broken into yesterday, along with Solid Snake's. I've ruled him out as a suspect."

 _"...As in, suspect in both?"_ Both Peach's disappearance and the break-in was what he was referring to. "Yes," she answered. "And whoever it was only took one thing, an ivory comb."

 _"I assume you want this comb back? Done. You'll have it by morning."_ He sounded so assured that she was taken aback. She had figured long ago that Fox had special privileges even _she_ didn't know of, but this?

"It isn't good practice to make such promises," she warned.

Fox scoffed over the line, _"I only make promises I can keep, Princess."_ He fell silent as if he were considering something. _"I would bet anything it was the Captain and Aran that broke in. Why they'd want your brush is beyond me, though."_

They were the two culprits that immediately sprang to her mind as well, though she was surprised he would outright state it. "That was my thought, which is why I speculated someone else, an employee perhaps, followed in and stole it. The door was locked. Does anyone else keep a copy of the door keys?"

She heard the shake of his head before he answered. _"They shouldn't. You've got quite the mystery on your hands."_

"I spotted _him_ yesterday as well."

_"...You know, vague references are far more difficult to understand over the phone."_

"Well, the um... the 'Meat Claw'?"

This time Fox didn't answer for a while. She was beginning to think he had left when he finally muttered, _"...Can't be good."_ A strange muffled sound filled the earpiece and she imagined him sighing, rubbing his face with a tired hand. _"Did you see where he was going?"_

"No, it was a chance encounter. I was in the gardens when he passed by." The watch room grew hushed around her and she pressed the tablet closer to her face without looking up, whispering her next words. "I assume Mario filled you in on the canceled fights."

_"Yep. Why are you whispering?"_

She ignored him and continued, "This morning in the Dining Room the R.O.B. were abundant. Falco Lombardi was lead away by them through the back door."

" _What?! Did he seem okay? Was he hurt?"_ She was about to respond when Mario stood in front of her, his back blocking her view of the room. His hands were curled in fists by his side and it wasn't long before she discovered why. The scent of sulfur wafted by in slight curls of smoke, trailing from Bowser's gaping maw. _"Hello?"_ Fox's voice was but a tinny whisper in her hand.

 _"Have you seen my... princess?"_ It was the guttural, rasping voice that took her aback. He leaned over Mario and curved his head to the side, allowing her to see the soot that worked its way between the folds of his skin. _"I seem to have lost her."_

She had to give Mario credit for not up and punching him like he looked to want, his muscles clenched up and down his back. He didn't say a word but instead moved closer to Bowser, driving him back with each step. _"I want her. I cannot smell her here. Where is... my Peach?"_ Saliva ran from his fangs and dribbled in long strands.

 _"Is that... Bowser?"_ Fox must have been able to hear from his side of the line.

"Yes," she muttered into the mouthpiece.

Bowser grinned as she frowned _(how much could he hear?)_ and in one loud _slurp_ sucked back his spit to where it frothed between jagged teeth. _"I'll be waiting... Tell him that."_ And with that Bowser lugged his mass to the onyx wall and left. The watch room was left in a state of shock. The more veteran of fighters shook their heads in disgust or didn't look up at all, but it was easy to spot the newcomers for their reactions. Olimar kept his herd of Pikmin nearby with a few strange horn blasts, eyeing the room warily.

Pit's mouth dangled off its hinges, "That was the Koopa King!"

When no one answered he stepped closer to Mario. "He never leaves his room, does he? And he's the bad guy in your kingdom."

The plumber didn't answer but instead turned to Zelda, the strain evident on his face. "I need to speak with Fox." She made to speak in the phone but Fox beat her to it.

_"Yeah, I heard. Talk to you soon, Princess."_

She handed the phone to Mario who squeezed it hard, bringing it up to his ear with one jerky motion. Not one for sticking around, Zelda crept back to the corner where Link sat and crouched low. She waited for him to say something half-insulting, but when he kept his face forward on the battle below she relaxed, bringing her own attention to the fight. The Metroid had attached itself to Waluigi's leg and by his desperate flail she assumed it wasn't the most pleasant feeling. Looking away from the morbidly fascinating scene she took a peak at Link.

His ear twitched under the attention but he didn't make a sound. He was waiting for her to make the first move. Upon the realization she shifted in her position, splaying one leg out while she kept the other tucked underneath herself. "Peach is doing alright. She hasn't awakened yet, but Fox believes she will make a full recovery."

Link hummed in response but failed to reply in the next few minutes. She had resigned herself to watching the awkward water battle below when he broke the silence in a quiet, low voice. "I remembered something while you were over there. The fights for today-" Wario broke into a cheer as Waluigi managed to land the final blow on the Metroid.

Link continued, "Peach was on the boards for a Star brawl today before they took her name off." He thankfully expanded on the thought when Zelda made to speak. "Star brawls always bring in the All-Star tournament. They're meant to get the crowd pumped up, so fans can vote in whoever they want to fight each other. And I'll show you the board later, if your previous struggle with public knowledge is anything to go off of."

She fixed him a glare but managed to stay on course. "Whoever was in charge of removing her name might have been responsible for her kidnapping. Why did you not mention this earlier?" He met her glare with one of his own, the fierce tilt of his head making her feel exposed.

"Like I said, her name was taken down. I didn't think much of it because other events had been moved around the clock, but none were fights. And none of the participants went vanishing a few days later."

Properly abashed, she lowered her eyes and studied the tips of her feet. They were coated in dust from the leftovers of her room. "I apologize. I am only worried for a friend, I didn't mean anything by my questioning." He grunted in reply and the matter was dropped. Zelda frowned and surprised herself by laying a hand on his arm. He tilted his head, puzzled but curious enough to not shake her away. "Are you alright?" He was acting a bit odd, more of a grouch than his usual bit.

A few lines in his face that she hadn't seen until now melted away and he nodded, softer than before. "Yeah. Are you ready to go?" Seeing nothing left for them in the room she nodded, leading the way to the onyx wall in the center of the room. Zelda used her own key and Link held the door open for her, gesturing her forward. She nodded her thanks with a small smile, always one for social etiquette, and slipped past him through the carved door.

She walked into darkness.

A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth, but before she could back out the door had sealed its way shut and she remained suspended like a line cast out and forgotten. Zelda went to lift her arm but found that her body had frozen in place, her legs left in mid stride. An attempt to lighten her way with the Triforce symbol- a cheap parlor trick since she had discovered it was possible- failed. With a newfound sense of dread she tried once more, focusing all of her energy into the simple move. Nothing. Her mind bid tendrils of magic to shower down her body in search for Wisdom, something, the little voice in her head whispered, that she never had to do before.

_hi._

Breath filled her lungs in a small gasp. _That voice._ That voice, _the_ voice, was here and was speaking to her. Her magic pulsated through her veins once more and left kisses of fire that burned on her skin. Her magic was coarse, unrestrained and it left its mark on her but she ignored it in favor of listening.

_i want to see you._

"I," she gritted out. "I want to see you as well." The effort it took to speak left her mouth dry and she had the strangest idea that she had done what was expected but not what was wanted, that there was a taste of disappointment in the air much like a professor to their less than stellar pupil. But the air around her shifted and she felt whatever held her in place begin to release.

It wasn't an immediate escape, because if life were anything to her it had to be grudgingly slow; but the darkness gave way to a lighter grey, the grey to a blinding white and the edges of the main floor soon etched themselves into place before her eyes.

Ringing, edged and flaming _ringing_ flooded her ears. Her foot met the floor the same time her other knee buckled and her body crumpled forward. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist just in time and kept her from smacking into the cold tile. Her stomach flopped as she was quickly spun around and Link's face tilted over her, scanning her over with an intensity that she would call lecherous if it weren't him. His eyes narrowed with a dab of worry that was hastily smothered in a cold fury.

Alarmed, and slightly offended _(because it wasn't as if she were trying to collapse on him, goodness),_ Zelda tried to detach herself only to be crushed into his tunic. This brought with it the press of age-worn cotton against her face and cold chainmail rolling underneath. The leather strap that buckled his sword and shield dug into her skin and she shifted to escape it, rubbing the smell of grass and metal, smoke and a crisp, clean scent across her nose in the process.

She saved herself the indignity of wriggling around in a grip that easily surpassed her own strength, but that didn't mean she would let him go free. A swift kick to the shin rendered her a satisfactory pained grunt that brought a grin to her face. Only then did her ears wake up to the bedlam around them.

_"Link, what happened-"_

_"Is Sir Lady alright?"_

_"Is_ _this confirmation of your dating status?"_

She dare not look up and risk getting lost in the cameras and calls of the reporters. A massive hand cradled the back of her head and she was grateful to be led away, face still buried in green. Her weakened feet shuffled ungracefully beside his and were no doubt tripping him up each step, but with surprising grace he maneuvered around her and the rest of the crowd until the sound died down and carpet cushioned their footfall. Zelda pressed against the arms holding her and they relaxed immediately, and she stepped back a few feet to gain the space that was lost.

He eyed her warily, hands palm out to grab her in case she faltered. She didn't. Granted it took a hefty amount of strength, goddess-given willpower and a drop of magic but she wouldn't let herself fall again. Once was enough. She cleared her throat, "What happened?" Her voice crackled like a fire had rampaged in her throat and dried it out.

Link straightened up and took a step towards her. "You were in there for three hours."

Three hours?

Trying to fight the daze settling over her Zelda shook her head, "...Are you positive?"

"Yes, I'm positive! What type of question is that?" He bit out, swiping at the tip of his cap that managed to twist around the front. "I was right behind you when the door closed in. That's never happened before."

Link pulled a rusted splinter from his pouch, "You weren't on the other side, but your key was." He handed it over and her eyes wondered in recognition. Her key was _decimated. "_ I walked in and out several times to see if you had slipped through another way, but when it became obvious you weren't _any_ where the maintenance stepped in. Even they couldn't get you out."

He left a silence for her and Zelda asked, "...You went through a wall that sent another to oblivion?"

He fixed her a look that clearly stated that wasn't what he was looking to hear or follow up with an answer for. "Mario and a few others stepped in but nothing happened and at that point the paparazzi caught whiff. And then you just stepped out."

She nodded thoughtfully and pressed her back against the corridor wall, masking her exhaustion behind the pose. "I heard the voice."

His ears perked up and the grim set gave way to surprise. "...What did it say?"

"It wanted to see me," and she was going to do just that as soon as possible were her unsaid words.

Link bowed his head in thought, "I have a fight tomorrow evening, but if we do it earlier in the day I should be back in time for some practice."

She shook her head, the motion rocking her skull against the wall like a cradle. "No. It might be a long visit after all, and I wouldn't want for you to get in a mess with Master Hand for missing your fight." That, and it only mentioned herself. With an entity strong enough to incapacitate her as it did, Zelda didn't want to risk its wrath by bringing along someone else.

His face was unreadable after she finished speaking, though he acquiesced after an internal debate. "Fine. But if you're not back by sundown I'm heading out, alright?"

She nodded, Zelda could agree with that. Now that that was settled she didn't quite know what to do. Link's fists curled and uncurled, the leather of his gloves creaking with each twitch. By the look of it, he was feeling the same. A wave of exhaustion hit her then and Zelda almost dozed off on her feet, wavering before she could catch herself. Link was instantly at her side to stable her with deft hands that dwarfed her shoulder and waist. It was a testament to her strength that she didn't flush at that point, though she did subtly lean away to put a few inches between them.

She could feel his breath against the tip of her ear, each puff tickling against a few stray hairs on her neck. His jaw, smooth at a distance was lined with the lightest trim of stubble left over from a missed shave. The hands left only when she was upright and Zelda breathed carefully until she was steady, mentally counting down to avoid making herself look like a fool.

_10, 9, 8, 7..._

Link coughed in his hand, a quick dart of the eye assessing her. "You okay?" She nodded and he nodded back, and then they were just nodding at each other until one looked away and the other was left nodding to themselves.

"I think I will lay for a while," Zelda said lamely. Link looked a little too knowing for her comfort but allowed the excuse to pass, iced eyes scanning her once more for any spontaneous injuries.

"I'll walk you."

She relented in the end; Samus and the Captain were still out there and she wasn't in the top condition for _any_ sort of self-transportation. But she would sooner ask Pit for a lift than allow herself to be carried by Link at the moment so she stuck to the walls, trudging all the way back to Fox's room while Link hung close by. Once they reached the door Zelda nodded her goodbye but paused, remembering. "Good luck," she said, and he cocked his head in turn. "In case I do not return in time. I bid you victory for your fight."

His eyes flickered and a smile sweet and whole bloomed open. It was like staring into the sun, and she was certain she would have the burn on her retina for days to come. "Luck is all I needed. Thank you." Only after she collapsed onto the bed did she hear his footsteps fall away from the room.

The next morning she found her mother's comb on the floor.


	18. Chapter 18

Things were going a little more complicated than she foresaw.

Zelda's hand slipped from the mossy branch and she bit back a scream, wrapping a leg over the top to avoid the long drop below. Her knee complained of the weight and she added her other leg by its side, gradually tilting herself up until she perched atop.

She had left early in the morning and would have left even earlier if the kitchens were open before dawn. After wrapping a few slices of fruit and ham up, she had set out from the Dome and managed to slink past any wandering eyes to the meadow, and from there the edge of the forest.

Now, she would estimate she had covered at least three-quarters of the first half, a worthy but relatively easy feat compared to the final bit before the hulking Tree in the center of the forest. Of course, the _last_ quarter was where she was tromping in now, and Zelda would be lying if she said she didn't need a partner for the job.

Her foot scraped healthy green fungus off the branch once she hazarded standing up. She inhaled sharply and leaped to the next tree over, bracing herself when the bark dug its way into her stomach. Just below where the branch hit was her belt, an ivory comb nested in the softest bandages she could find and hidden away in a side pouch embroidered with the Sheikah eye.

She found her mother's comb by the door that morning, presumably pushed under the small crack right above the carpet. Upon realizing it was indeed her comb and no, there weren't any signs of malicious tamper, Zelda scooped it up and promptly rushed out the door. Only when she was past the hallway did she realize she still wore her bedclothes and had _no idea_ where she was running to. Seized with embarrassment and paranoia, Zelda slipped back into Fox's room and resolved to never speak of it.

Zelda hoisted herself to her feet and leaped to the next branch, shimmying down the trunk to a large hollow. As she crawled through, Zelda paused and grabbed the small pouch in thought. Whoever Fox was in contact with was good at their craft. The next chance she had to speak with him she would ask Fox to send her thanks. And, of course, her inquiry as to where her comb was in the first place. Until then- _and definitely_ _after_ -she wouldn't let her comb leave her side.

Mini Fox brushed against her hand where she tied him that morning with a stray bit of twine. Zelda had figured she would need all the luck she could get, and she was right. Her hand slipped at that moment and she tumbled out of the tree with the grace of a swine, landing with an _"Oof!"_ on a hard cluster of roots.

 _'Let's not mention that to anyone either,'_ she grimaced. To her disappointment the forest was still the same. Although she had been traveling since early morning and it was well into noon, none of the lively blue glow from the last time was present. It was dim, and that alone was enough cause for concern because the sunlight was steadily being blotted out by the tree tops. She brushed herself off and got to her feet, climbing over the tangle of roots that was the forest floor. The mass of the trees remained ever encumbering, of course.

Zelda tackled the next tree, and the next tree after that, and the tree after the two of those as well. She hiked over hulking roots and shimmied up trunks the size of carriages. She doubled over beneath swooping branches and crawled when there was hardly room to breathe, much less for her body.

Once the trees were so close that they practically touched, Zelda began to worry. She should have at least felt something before reaching this point. There was no electricity in the air, no pulse in her feet that urged her forward. The forest was dead to her.

With that grim thought, Zelda squeezed through a gap between two hugging trees and thought of how before, when it was her and Link making this trip, it took rather twice as long. Now that her mind had brought him up, Zelda had to wonder what he was doing now. Although it had barely been two days she had grown used to his silent, brooding nature. He was probably in the Training Room or strolling the halls, sending Toads running in all directions. With the time she was making she had a good chance of making it back in time for his fight with Meta Knight.

Melo had given her a letter that morning with a fraction of the information she requested, but there was nothing on the local bat. Instead, she recollected as she pulled her foot from a grabbing root, Melo had left a small news-clipping barely longer than the length of her hand. It was an article dedicated to the third anniversary of Mewtwo's death and the grand opening of the new Pokemon Stadium stage. Above the short description lay a photograph of what she presumed to be the old building. At the steps of the barred entrance someone had left a bouquet of flowers.

Zelda had found herself oddly pulled to the photo and promised herself to make time to visit the place. Perhaps tomorrow, unless Link needed time to recuperate? _'Or,'_ the small voice in her mind whispered, _'you could go alone.'_ She was saved from thinking on it when a dull throb pulsed up the soles of her feet. Her heart jolted in excitement and nerves and she hurried on through the next bundle of trees only to find absolute darkness.

She hesitated only a second before an array of sparks danced between her fingers. Her eyes widened in dismay and she tried again, only this time the sparks spattered angrily about. She had been aiming for a solid flame. Nevertheless, it would have to do.

Her footsteps were painstakingly loud, each press in the expanse of moss booming around her. A bead of sweat dripped down her temple and she didn't bother wiping it away; instead she reached in her pouch for a handful of needles. She fanned them out between each finger and refused the urge to shake them, a nervous tick that had developed over the years.

The sparks playing in her hands hopped back and forth as she continued forward, straining to see beyond the feeble light. What was hit by its cast was bathed in golds and burgundies, and the shadows that crept near flickered with each irregular _pop._ She fought to contain the flame but it eluded her.

Gradually, the behemoth arose from the shadows.

Its span was wider than she remembered. The Tree's head covered the sky and blocked out the sun along with every other inch of light. Its roots spanned out like spider legs dipping through velvet and re-emerged as tentacles of a sea beast. Her foot scraped the edge of one and she recoiled, scolding herself immediately after. It wouldn't do to work herself up.

_Th-thump. Th-thump._

A pulse so faint she at first confused it for her own had answered her touch and stayed in her veins. She felt its thrum like a harp string, could almost hear its song, and this alone comforted her enough to move on.

Once she neared the edge of the slope and could see the tint of water, she took a deep breath and plunged down to the edge. Her feet hardly made a sound when they squelched into the wet earth and she caught herself when she began to slip. Her sparks abruptly died out.

Zelda hissed and shook her wrist, lighting up a another array of sparks. Some shot out from under her control and splashed onto the surface of the pool with flashes of light. One by one they fizzled out against the surface, lacking a source of power to stay lit. _And yet..._ Before they went out, they revealed what was below the dark water.

Heart in her throat, she stretched out a trembling hand with the few sparks that stayed and held her curled fingers above the pool. With a sharp breath she lowered her hand, close enough to not submerge but enough to light below the surface.

The pool wasn't a pool. It wasn't even a pond. Pebbles like scales littered the soil under the water, and between each rock sprouted two more roots like blades of grass. This was little more than a puddle, albeit a large one. The water was still the purest looking she had ever seen, as no bugs skittered the surface or down below. But with its purity followed a sinister shadow that lingered on her mind. It wasn't nature's disposition to leave something untouched. That is, unless it was tainted.

Zelda wrenched back her hand and fell backwards, kicking herself away from the edge. The forest was dark, the Tree was mostly silent and the pool was reduced to almost nothing. Something was terribly _off,_ and not for the first time she wondered what she was really there for. She made to get up but found she couldn't; her legs were weak with a fear splitting through her skin. She grabbed at a towering root to help herself up and a small thread of electricity stung at her fingertips. Ignoring every instinct that screamed, _Get away! Flee!_ , she grabbed hold of the root and climbed atop, swinging her numb leg over the other side to avoid slipping off. She pocketed her needles, there was no use for them now.

She slowly scooted up the root, one hand still raised with her few sparks left and the other pulling her up inch by inch. When it became too wide to hang over she crawled, not trusting her balance over the dark sheen a few feet below. Once she was near she stood and examined the trunk.

Up close, every knot looked carved in by an axe. The trunk was marred by grooves deep enough that she could probably stick her hand through the heavy lines. So she did.

Nothing answered her. She held her hand there for a moment before drawing it out and slowly rubbed her palm over the rough bark. When nothing happened she sighed and lowered herself onto her knees, leaning forward to rest her face against the grooved wood.

"...What do you want from me?" The desperation in her voice surprised Zelda. "What did you _do_ to me? Where is my power? Where is-" She cut herself off. She wouldn't say a thing about Wisdom, even _if_ she sensed no one else out here. With that settled she took several breaths through her nose to calm her nerves and allowed her shoulders to relax.

"You said you wanted to see me." Zelda ran her lower lip through her teeth and waited. Still nothing. She took a different approach. "If you don't answer me now, I think I'll take my leave." She waited for a while longer, long enough that only a spark remained between her fingers. As she began to regretfully slide down, she felt a flood of frustration through the air. Whatever dam that had been holding it in broke and the full wave of it nearly brushed her over the edge.

Zelda gasped under the weight of it and tried to rise, but full, gasping sobs begun to wrack her body. She doubled over and cried out, sharing in the misery and anger that was projected on her. Fat tears rolled down her face till they caught on her mask, drenching the cloth so it hung uncomfortably against her quivering chin. Her muscles clenched something fierce with each shudder, but in between each painful breath Zelda marveled in return. She watched on, disconnected from her body. It had been long since she cried so heavily and she had forgotten the way breath grew twice as valuable with each devouring sob.

She struggled to even her breathing and had managed to quench her tears when something pressed on her conscience. It wasn't the voice, no. It was more of a new sense of awareness, like a pang that fought her back with a hungry snarl. A barrier separated her and the Tree. Zelda could still feel the edge of anxiousness and a trembling anger that made her spine curl. She hissed through clenched teeth, "I _understand._ "

The heavy emotions abated for the moment and allowed her rest. She huffed and straightened, hands folding in her lap. What was she to do now? Zelda grasped for _Pickled Cream_ and held it in front of her in thought. Something was blocking them from communicating. The same something probably had to do with why the forest was in such a state.

_'Which begs the question: Who?'_

A glow flickered off the blade and Zelda froze. From the corner of her eye she could see pockets of gold blooming one by one under the water. Zelda lowered her head towards the ground, the lone spark in her palm forgotten. The small roots sprouted into long tendrils and weaved towards her. She grew numb, too numb to shake when the strange, glowing roots wrapped themselves around _Pickled Cream_ and her hands. Distantly, she took notice of the heat that radiated from them; they could have been born of fire from how they burned.

 _'Dear goddesses it hurts, it hurts, oh Nayru Din Farore oh please-'_ A pulse steady as a drum and all the more louder shook the dagger, each throb uncomfortably resembling the fingers of another. As though they were trying to soothe, the roots squeezed around her hands a final time before releasing all at once, slipping back into the dark water below. Zelda was thrown into the shadows once more. Her only warning was the great Tree rumbling below her before her focus was thrown into a haze of blue; the forest was alive once more.

 _Pickled Cream_ glowed with a faint drop of sun, but nothing more. The wraps and gloves covering her hands were swiftly thrown to the side in her haste to see the damage. By the cast of the florescent trunk at her back, her hands were a ghastly shade of blue but otherwise fine. She was fine.

An unsteady laugh escaped her lips and was followed by a second, then third and fourth and by then she was clutching her sides in a bid to stop her muscles from twisting painfully. She was hysterical, then. _'Finally lost it, eh?'_ the little voice in her mind whispered. Zelda hummed at the revelation and thought that if that were true, she might as well accept it and move on.

She picked up _Pickled Cream_ from where she set it aside and balanced it in her hand, assessing the blade now that her mind had settled. The glow fortunately hadn't stayed, as she would have had a hard time explaining that to curious eyes, but a certain feel had remained; a ghost of warmth heated up her palms that was soft and comfortable compared to the boiling of before.

A cold breeze swimming past her scalp, long grasses against her bare legs. The taste of honeyed dew against her tongue stretched out towards a blazing fire. These things she felt and knew to be hers.

Zelda breathed evenly as she sheathed the dagger and re-covered her hands. Too much had happened in such little time, and she wasn't too sure of her own mental state at the moment to delve into the hows and whys. Zelda had never dealt with a being such as the Tree, nonetheless _heard_ of one. So many questions. Where to begin?

Her feet hardly made a sound once she dropped from her perch and she straightened, making her way up the slope to the edge of the clearing. From where she stepped a trail of blue-lighted footprints was left, and these soft steps curled around her to the wall of trees and past. And it was here, remarkably after everything else, that she was afraid her mind would snap because although she had seen many things, nothing could have prepared her when the trees _tucked themselves underground._ Like little field mice hopping into their holes. One by one they popped under, reverse-sprouting and shouting to the world that _natural law has no place here, thank you very much!_

She shuffled her feet anxiously, unsure of the right choice. But it seemed there was no choice to make. The light footprints pattered on in drops ahead, clearing a path before her. Zelda followed.

So many questions indeed.

* * *

The path broke even unto to the edge of the city.

Yes, that's right.

One moment she was brushing back leaves and the next her heel hit pavement.

Even as the sun tucked behind the hills and its light burned past steel and mortar, even as the waxing moon smiled up at its tilt on the horizon, the city boomed on and over Zelda. She blinked back stars until her eyes adjusted to the new light and spun in a dazed shock. She was just a few blocks from the Dome, having bypassed the meadow and outskirts of Smash Central. A faint glimmer of blue twinkled- _did she imagine the mischievous glint?_ \- from a patch on the street below her then faded, the whole block of concrete hidden by a new wave of people.

She was soon overcome by the crowd and had to meander her way through to the edge of a new walkway. Thankfully the Dome's head peaked behind several towering skyscrapers, so unless her eyes rolled out she would have a hard time getting lost. Zelda straightened and squared her shoulders as she began the walk back. She may not have walked her streets as often as she liked in Hyrule, but she was certain they weren't nearly this crowded. Or angry, for that matter. A scaled lizard-man roughly shoved her as he passed, snapping crocodile jaws by her ear in spite.

The people of Smash Central were a hardy bunch. It was hard to tell who was local and who wasn't because the sheer diversity was so great it eclipsed any cultural belonging. There was a blend to the city. From the cobblestone alleys to the sleek screens that hung on every corner, the tastes of swordsmen and spacemen alike were satisfied. That being said, Zelda pondered as she tore into the ham she stashed, the people today were different than usual.

While every country and village had their poor, Smash Central was flooded with the destitute. She had noticed when she walked with Peach down the street in the afternoon rain, had tried to ignore it during her midnight outing with Link, and had to bear it that morning when she saw the numbers piling up by air vents to keep warm.

And as she untangled her way through the throngs, it struck her as odd that there would be so many out and about, walking the streets in groups of ragged stragglers. _'The streets are meant for everyone,'_ she amended, _'but rarely do street people wander the city in groups such as this, even less so in the daylight, little though it is.'_

She passed by a screen that hung on the back of a shelter for those waiting for the train and doubled back when something sparked her attention. " _...Mayor Vase stresses that the infestation will pass and thanks all of Smash Central for their patience and endurance on this matter."_ A tired-looking man, a " _news anchor"_ is what they were called, was stuffed in a black jacket shuffling the papers on his desk as he recited the words. His face looked unnatural, like parts of it had been smeared over to give the appearance of wax.

He continued, _"Again, Mayor Vase thanks you for your cooperation and believes the southern districts will be open for the public by the annual All-Star Tournament. On brighter news, this will be the first AST since the closure of the Tourney three years ago."_ A picture of Fox made its way on screen besides the man. Her friend was dressed in his usual outfit with blaster in hand, the gun frozen in mid-spin between nimble fingers. One of his eyes was closed in a cheeky wink, and the sight of him made her wish for his presence however smothering it could often be.

 _"Fox McCloud, the since-reigning All Star champion, will finally have his title challenged after the hiatus. Do you think he'll manage to keep the champion spot for a fourth year? Call in to..."_ His words trailed off and he suddenly clutched the side of his ear, and the calm pretense he maintained began to melt away as Zelda turned from it. She had lost interest from the strange man and continued on.

So Fox was the winner of the last All-Star Tournament before Mewtwo's untimely demise? At least his apparent fame was given a reason now; the public outcry against his loss towards Falco Lombardi made sense. Although it wasn't a fight for the title, any loss for the crowned champion would be a devastating blow. Zelda looked back on the days Fox was in the infirmary and the times she would catch him with the news on. He may not have shown it, but the ordeal had to have been trying for him. She couldn't imagine falling from grace like he had.

Or rather, she could. Though Zelda had never been the public's favorite, she knew her decision in the war hardly gave her any leverage. _'In fact,'_ she smiled mirthlessly, _'I was rather hated by some for it.'_ Either way, she felt she knew Fox a little better because of it.

The front doors of the Dome were in full view now, and though she would have liked to slip through the hidden door on the side she hadn't had the chance to replace her key. With a grimace Zelda shouldered her way through the mass that crowded the front, people who no doubt stood in line to watch Link's battle. The people she muscled past grunted in annoyance then quieted in recognition. The crowd stilled and she glanced back uneasily while trying to get through to the doorways.

_"It's Sir Lady!"_

Shouting began to erupt from somewhere in the crowd, she wasn't sure who it was or what started it, but more and more people had turned on her and began pushing her back. Only a few looked like they knew what they were doing, but their fury spread to the rest like a wildfire. The crowd descended upon her like vultures to carrion.

Some behind her pushed her forward, protesting in confused roars while the ends of the line pressed in to see what the outrage was about. At least a dozen hands grabbed at her clothes and caught fistfuls of the fabric, using it as leverage to force her down to the pavement. Zelda's heart raced in the fury and she pushed back, struggled against the many hands that tried to keep her down. She couldn't even see the faces of her attackers, their hands blotted out the light. A hand roughly grabbed her face and pulled down her mask, and she bit down as hard as she could and was gratified by the rush of blood against her face. Zelda spit out a glob of blood and screamed.

It was deep, almost a man's but with a shrieking and gut-wrenching edge that froze the crowd. She was beyond furious.

This was a moment that Zelda would look back on with curiosity.

It was a moment that everyone had at least once in their life, and most either forgot about it or tried to. But not Zelda, no. She never allowed herself more than a moment to collect whatever stray emotions that escaped, so this breach in self-control was a failure and thus something she needed to remember in order to prevent it from ever happening again.

But deep, _deep_ within her marrow she knew it was also an _okay_ moment, so she would allow herself it.

This moment was the result of everything her life had been up to the second she stepped foot in that crowd. It was her inheriting the most prosperous kingdom on the continent and watching it fall under her advisers' fist, it was the torn muscles after countless hours of practicing Sheikah techniques by candle light; of the mockery she faced when she was but a princess on a man's throne, of her allies refusing to fight against the Twilight, and of her country's danger from Earl Hanta's now-approaching army.

The betrayal of Samus and Falcon, however little she knew them before. Fox's sly eyes and charming tongue, something she had begun to notice more and was left uneasy from it. Link's abandonment of Hyrule, his ferocity where there used to be none, the blood-lust she had only glimpsed and never wished to see again.

It was the mystery that shrouded Master Hand and his supposed villainy, of every question that had bombarded her mind. And of course, it was the Tree and her dagger and every shaded dream she had had to endure since arriving in Smash Central.

It was a moment that captured all: every ounce of frustration, anger, and sorrow that she had ever felt. And when she would look back on it with a curious eye, Zelda would never know what had overcome her, only that something had changed in her in this one, _precious_ moment.

Zelda unleashed her burdens in one arduous, unholy shriek upon the crowd, and later some would describe the event akin to having hell fire rain down. Her veins bulged out in ugly rivers upon her red face and her eyes felt like they were close to exploding beneath the strain. Her voice dried out into a husk of itself but she held out as long as she could until all that remained was a sound like dry grass in the wind, and that too died off. Then as soon as the ordeal began, it stopped.

Something was making its way through the crowd and had people pushing each other aside to get out of the way. It was an R.O.B. leading a pack of its kind for crowd control, and they mercilessly powered through any that stood in their way. Zelda fixed her mask and cowl, studying the blood that was left on her fingers when a man stepped up to her feet and offered a hand. He was dressed in a blue uniform and had an employee badge clipped on his slightly wrinkled shirt, but when she glared up at him with half-lidded eyes he didn't back down.

His hand was well calloused when she relented, and with surprising ease he lifted her completely off the ground and tightened his grip when she went to pull away. He looked over his shoulder and caught her eyes, jerking his chin in a barely discernible nod then didn't wait to see her response, tugging her through the path that had been cleared by the R.O.B.

To her horror, the second they stepped through the doors she was hounded by a crowd larger than the day before: of paparazzi, frazzled employees and more R.O.B. that held back the lines that streamed inside. Lightning flashed from the boxes and screens they held and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to wash out the burns left on her retinas. She could hear the Toads that tried to hold back the crowd with their squeaky voices, but it was the R.O.B. rolling forward that contained the overflow of people.

The man lead her off to the elevator and jabbed the button to close the doors, and it was only when he crossed his arms and appraised her with a steely gaze that she recognized his eyes.

"...Snake?"

Snake grunted in response, and she was once again impressed by his switch between two different personas. He wore some sort of extra skin that hid his beard and morphed his facial shape, but the same pale, intelligent eyes scanned her over. "Here," he said, digging into a capsule holstered at his side. He pulled out a small pill and held it out to her on an open palm. She glanced at it and fixed him a look that spoke all she needed to say. He shook his hand with emphasis, "It's medicine."

Zelda hesitated, then decided if he wanted to kill or drug her he could have done it numerous ways already. She took the pill against her better judgement, though added, "The blood..." She cleared her throat and tasted iron. "It is not mine."

He nodded slowly, noticeably avoiding her eyes. "I know, I saw." He coughed into his fist and if Zelda knew him better she would say he looked uncomfortable. However, with this man any emotion was up in the air. "You're, uh... not going to scream again, are you?"

Zelda blinked. "Ah... no." It occurred to her that the majority of their interactions made her seem insane. The way he eyed her now made it obvious he was waiting for her to explode. She smiled to put him at ease, "I am well." He nodded slowly but didn't look entirely convinced, though he dropped the matter and focused his attention elsewhere. Zelda ducked her head and tugged down her crusting mask, scrunching her nose at the sound it made as she pealed it away from her face.

She dry swallowed the pill and was surprised to see a light glow envelop her body similar to the aftereffects of the medicated foods from the infirmary. Her energy was replenished; she hardly felt like she had been trekking through a forest the majority of the day.

A wet rag was thrust into her face. Zelda tilted her head curiously, not catching the reason for the cloth that was now dripping all over her shoes. Snake grunted, "You look like hell."

"Always the charmer," she replied before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened at her blunder- _how could she allow herself this many breaches in conduct?-_ but Snake hardly reacted beyond tilting his head to the side, looking to all the world like a curious cat with a mouse in its paw. Zelda bit back her apology and tilted her chin up before facing away, not bothering with the facts that she was going to charm her face anyways and the wall was reflective enough that he could see her.

She did look like hell. Although she knew it wasn't her blood, Zelda was startled to see half her front covered in red. Who knew that hands bled so much? Her already red eyes seemed darker, bloodshot from the sob-spell she had been put under in the forest. Strands of hair poked messily out of her braid in their rebellion against her cap, pushing up into a bushy halo. While she couldn't remember rolling in the dirt, it certainly looked like she had done so. Zelda shrugged her shoulders in a half-committed gesture once she saw Snake's reflection peeking at her own. She's looked worse.

"You know," he began as she cleaned away the blood. "I'm having a hard time reading you."

Zelda snorted, this time not bothering to think why her normally pristine filter was broken. "Oh?" she inquired, and when she opened her mouth her teeth were coated in red. Zelda frowned, Snake's eyes flashed with something she couldn't quite catch and he handed her a flask of water. She nodded her thanks and drank a mouthful, swishing it around to wash away the blood.

She paused under his appraising eye and felt that this was a test; a test for what, she wasn't sure, but the way Snake looked at her she knew he was calculating her every move. Her cheeks puffed out with water and then sucked in, along with every bit of the watery blood that she swallowed back. To her immense pleasure she stifled the gag that fought to bring back up the substance.

Snake stared at her like she was a particularly befuddling puzzle. He grew quiet for sometime, and she had resigned herself to a very long and uncomfortable elevator ride when he pushed off the wall he was leaning on and loomed over her, arms crossed over his chest.

She didn't squirm under his gaze but met it, vaguely wondering what was taking the elevator so long. With one quick look she confirmed why; the number at the top of the door stayed frozen, meaning at some point he stopped their ascent while she wasn't looking. When she reached this conclusion she tilted her head in curiosity, and the man didn't move a muscle aside from calmly blinking at having been found out.

"Why are you really here, Sir Lady _?"_ Snake spoke with an even tone.

Zelda could deal with this, she had been raised around two-faced nobles and dealt with war lords on a semi-regular basis. "I am here to fight," she replied. "I assume the same of you, unless your inquisitive nature is a greater reason?"

"A bit of both," Snake said, looking amused until his face hardened once more. "I get the feeling you're the same." He jerked his chin up, shadowing his eyes. "I know that until recently, you were on very good terms with Captain Falcon and Samus Aran. Before he left for _whatever reason,"_ Snake tilted his brow meaningfully, "Fox had taken you under his wing with nothing to show for it. And, I know you know the reason for Princess Toadstool's untimely disappearance."

At her stunned silence he sighed as if disappointed and faced away from her, pacing the small room of the elevator. " _C'mon_ , girl. As if no one would notice one of the tournament's _top sponsors_ was missing with the Tourney right around the corner, even _if_ there wasn't a thing being said about it around here."

Zelda watched his reflection meet her eyes. "What I don't get," he muttered, "is why. _Why_ has McCloud taken special interest in you, _why_ is the rest of the Dome against you and _why,"_ Snake spun on his heel and he was in her face again, "do you know the reason for the Princess's disappearance?"

"I don't know," she muttered. Snake had asked every question she had been silently asking herself, and she would be lying if she said it weren't the least bit irritating. How did he know so much? Zelda thought for a moment until his words caught up with her. Wait.

"The rest of the Dome is against me? What do you mean by this?" She hadn't thought _everyone_ disliked her. There were some obvious candidates of course, but that didn't equate to the twenty-some odd Smashers and the other hundreds, _thousands_ of employees.

Snake ignored her question and scanned her face; she had yet to put her mask back on. "Who are you?"

"I am Sheik."

Snake asked again, quieter. "Who are you?"

Zelda kept her hands at her side though they were begging to reach up and pull on her mask. "I am Sheik. You know this. What have I to hide from you?"

Snake didn't say a word. He reached behind him, not once breaking eye contact and tapped the button that allowed the elevator to continue its ascent. He kept his eyes focused on her face while beneath them the floor hummed. The blue shirt he wore tightened across his shoulders once he leaned back. "I hope you're ready to fight."

The elevator doors slid open behind them and they were bombarded with angry hollering and the hot breath of mouths too close. Zelda refused to turn her back while Snake was still looming over her, but once it became obvious she wouldn't budge the corner of his eye _twitched_ and he straightened, stepping past her to the hallway. There; she had seen a quirk of his. She didn't know how to exploit it yet or what exactly it _meant,_ but Zelda would figure it out. Anything to have something on him. She wrenched her mask up and followed.

A sea of Toads blocked the elevator doors, but as Snake walked through they cleared a path. Beyond them she could see black leather wings and a silver mask: Meta Knight. Upon seeing her he made a sound of fury and waved his sword at her, but the R.O.B. at his side kept him from taking flight and skewering her as he wished. The robots watched with bottomless eyes.

"Sir Lady, if you would follow me." A fat Toad, clearly the he- She knew this one. It was the fat Toad who announced her name wrong back when she fought her first fight. Snake stepped between him and his view of her, "I've got this covered, Gino." Gino stopped at this and squinted, making out the employee badge on Snake's shirt.

"Who are you?" He frowned at Snake, but the tall man shrugged off his accusing tone like it were water.

"I'm from higher up. You know better than to question that." Gino blanched at the undertone that laced his words and bowed his head, scuttling away as fast as the crowd of Toads allowed.

Snake walked on, not having to worry if she'd follow. Above them the ceiling rumbled from thousands of voices. Zelda shivered from the sound, "Why are we here?" They stopped at the loading disks that carried the Smashers up to the stage. "...Sir." She wouldn't blow his cover, even if he wasn't acting the most forthright at the moment. Perhaps it was this that made Snake turn around, one solid movement in the fury of the second highest level of the Dome.

He guided her gently onto the silver disk inlaid in the floor, letting go of her shoulders as soon as she was in the center. "The schedule changed not thirty minutes ago. No one knows why. Someone powerful is against you." He spoke with an urgent tone that was bound in control, like he had been rehearsing the lines in his mind.

Zelda heard Gino announce her title and her feet lifted, carrying her up to darker skies when the ceiling opened. "Good luck," Snake muttered with eyes wide and mouth grim. She didn't understand.

Her head emerged first, naturally. The sun had just about set behind the walls of the stadium; only a span of gold lay on a section of the crowd. The rest was in darkness and she didn't understand. The Dome's audience bellowed indignant cries, hot and bloodthirsty. This was not a cheer. This was a threat. Her torso and legs came next and were hit with the same reaction, only louder now that the rest of the crowd caught on to the rage.

A figure in green, hair in golden wheat, legs encased in aged-bone and leather. Her vision started to waver; this was too much, _too much_ and she didn't understand, Zelda didn't understand-

_"Stock rules apply. Triple Stock, last one standing wins! Stage Setting: Eldin Bridge!"_

Link stood across from her. Not at her side, but across. Then she understood.

The sun swam below the wall of the stadium and Zelda watched the last of its flesh crust off of the audience. There was darkness, and then there was light sweet as honey.

A cold twilight breeze kissed her face and tugged at her braid.

_"3...!"_

_"2...!"_

It took her two seconds to remember, or forget; it was remembering and forgetting at the same time. She remembered the taste of Gerudo flower tea and the smell of the Hylia Lilies that Impa kept outside her window. She remembered the sound of the Golden Bugs that rang, and _sung_ in light bells.

She remembered the stone under her feet.

She remembered the castle that crowned the mountains.

_"1...!"_

Zelda forgot where she was. She wasn't home.

_"Go!"_

But she felt like she was, and the joy in this moment was okay, too.


	19. Chapter 19

_The first time she fell, it had been an accident._

* * *

_"Go!"_

All was silent, if only for a pause.

Then there was a scrape of boot against stone and Zelda was dipped backwards, braid pooling at her feet to avoid being sliced in half by the Master Sword's blade. She flipped back once, then twice and finally had to launch herself to the side of Eldin Bridge to avoid Link's reach. She overshot her leap and scrambled for some purchase on the ledge, but she was simply too far. Her hands scooped air and she dropped. As a last ditch shot she whipped her chain toward the stone, but before it could lodge itself an arrow changed its course.

The chain crumpled down with Zelda and Link was lowering his bow by the time her body met light.

_'Oh-'_

Her mouth opened in a silent gasp, and she had half the mind to close her eyes just as her skin felt like it was sliced with an inferno. She wasn't sure what she expected- _death, perhaps?-_ but the whoosh of air and beam of light didn't make the list. A silver platter manifested itself below her feet, the same one that lifted her to the stage only now it hovered a good several feet above the bridge.

What?

She was still in the mockery of her home. _Triple Stock, last one standing wins!_ Dread filled her. This wasn't a single stock match.

Below her, Link waited. Zelda knew she was coated in a protective sheen, though there was no telling how long it would last. This was as good a time as any for productive thinking.

 _'-foolishfoolishfoolish-'_ How stupid could she be? She wasn't even hit, it was just a _clumsy, unfocused fall_. That train of thought crashed head-on with the realization that she still had two chances left. She needed to catch her mind up to things and _now._ Link looked like he was getting ready to leap.

Quick. Her eyes skated to the sides; a faint distortion showed where the stage ended. She already knew the other end, _('foolishfoolishfoolish')._ It looked to be a straight shot to either side of the bridge, not a brick was out of place. Goddesses, this all looked too familiar. How was this stage even existing? She didn't see it on the menu that Link had pulled up when he took her to Jungle Japes, and how long ago was that? It felt like forever.

 _'Concentrate,'_ the resident crone in her mind hissed. _'I don't fancy taking another fall!'_ She had two lives left and possibly the easiest stage to fight on. There didn't look to be any gimmicks, no incoming death rays to push them forward. She could do this. She had a fighting chance.

But she didn't want it.

The disk below her feet started to shrink and Link tensed his calves; he really was going to leap.

Zelda didn't want to fight. She knew it was a childish thought to have in the middle of a battle she more or less signed herself up for, but it was true. She didn't even have time to prepare herself. Her bones ached with the dread.

The disk was barely enough room for her tiptoes. She needed to act soon or she would be falling bait to snapping jaws.

If she came from the sides he could swipe her out of the air, creating a risk for dropping once more. But head-on... She figured out a plan. _(She hadn't figured out why Link was so willing to fight her)._

 _Now!_ Zelda lunged forward, tilting the disk to the side. In the same breath she pushed off with her foot while her other knee curled in, bringing her shoe near her hand. She scraped the side of the blue leather till her fingers pinched a needle laced through the weaving, and just as she was curling her finger around its edge Link met her halfway.

* * *

 _The second fall was of rage and carnage, and so,_ so _much blood._

* * *

They both went for the throat.

Zelda barely missed the hit that would have taken her head off but still caught the edge of the blade, splicing open the side of her neck. Link wasn't so lucky; his own swipe hid her oncoming jab to his collar bone. The small needle slipped right in between his bones, bringing a growl of pain to her ears from where he landed. Thick, warm blood pooled down her front from where Link got her, but aside from covering it with her hand Zelda could do nothing about it. Except-

-a chicken leg with a greasy _(magic?)_ sheen manifested from the air a few feet away. Link was already reaching for it but the needle between his collarbone had to be difficult to maneuver around. His normally blank face was painted with agony. His fingers were just closing around the leg as Zelda latched onto it with her chain and yanked it back, bringing him down on his face. He hunched his back in an awkward crumple to avoid plunging the needle even further.

A clumsy twitch in her finger provided all the charm she needed before the food was shoved down her throat, bone and all. A healthy light sparkled around her and she felt more than saw her blood vanish, leaving only the crusted patches from the stranger on her clothes. Her neck still throbbed with phantom pain, but she _really_ couldn't do anything about that.

Link's body jerked, and from under his hunched form Zelda saw her needle clatter to the stone.

Then he was upon her, the Master Sword cutting through the air to cleave her in two. Her hand grabbed _Pickled Cream_ of its own accord and met his strike.

 _Clang!_ Her arm almost immediately broke under the pressure, so she added her other hand and met his fierce look with one of her own.

_'Look me in the eyes as you kill me.'_

The thought was out of place. They may have been fighting, but Fox said there was no real danger onstage. There was something preventing their deaths; as much as the crowd would love _(or hate)_ it, the smashers would have to be replaced daily and that was no easy feat for recruiters.

But the way Link swung at her made her question reality.

Zelda huffed with strain, pushing back the sword. A strain of confusion slowly lined Link's face as he scanned the blood that still coated her front; her own had vanished with the food. The look on his face was a stark contrast to the last few minutes _(hours?),_ until Link's expression hardened once more and he put all of his might against her.

Although her entire force was behind the blade, Link was simply too strong. Lucky for her, Zelda didn't feel it when her head was split in two.

Heat burned her skin, then light carried her _up, up, up_.

Zelda grit her teeth and slipped a smoke bomb into her palm once she was back on the disk. Link waited in the spot he finished her.

Who was she kidding? Open stages like this were her bane. She needed hiding places, she needed extra jumps for her fights. Hopefully, this little gem would provide at least one of those things. She wasted no time in lounging above the stage like before. Instead, the smoke bomb left her hand just as Link pulled out his clawshot.

He caught a face full of the smoke, but her victory was short lived when a metal claw dug its clutches into her side and _pulled._ She swallowed her scream and braced for impact.

The world was a haze inside the smoke cloud. A cold blade swiped her outer thigh and Zelda bit back a cry, plunging a handful of needles into the dark form in front of her. Link growled and slashed again but she saw it in time to dodge, throwing a few needles in turn.

Link grunted in pain and stumbled around to find his way out of the cloud, but he was wary enough to avoid careening over the bridge. A rare smirk tugged at Zelda's lips. Her smoke bombs didn't affect her as much as they used to; too many training incidents made her immune to the effects. But Link must not have seen a thing if the tears streaming from his eyes were any sign.

Her fingers found their way around her thickest needles and she fired them one after the other, each finding their mark. Link flinched but stopped. The tense in his muscles were her only hint when Link shot towards her on his was close, Zelda had to give him that, but she was faster and was able to skirt behind him before he skewered the ground.

Bits of stone flew from the impact and she cringed. _That could have been her._ The thought of being stuck like a pig quelled her fear as Link turned around, and she quickly let off a succession of small knives and pins that spat sprays of blood upon hit.

He ducked and covered his face, stepping to retreat but in the wrong direction. His heels teetered off the edge, she was so _close_. Backwards, forwards. Arms waved to gain balance. Backwards, _backwards._ Link fell off the edge.

Relief burst in her chest but memory struck it dead. Zelda dashed to the side but she was too late, the clawshot had already dug its nails into the stone. Link launched up the side but she was ready this time.

She twisted to the side of the incoming blade and placed herself behind his shoulder, his blind spot. _Pickled Cream_ was snatched and dug into her palm with how hard she squeezed it. It was her victory, her _friend,_ and she wouldn't have to fall again if she managed this.

And of course she would manage this, because Link was still finishing a swing that left his entire half open. She could cut split arteries and gouge out eyes. She could carve out his heart.

But... _but._ That was the point, wasn't it?

But she couldn't do it.

Zelda couldn't kill Link. She knew it wasn't really killing, she knew he wouldn't die, but the thought of seeing him bleed out by her hand was enough to stay her dagger. So it was in the dawn of this thought that her mind accepted her loss.

This was how she was when Zelda saw the Bulblin.

It wasn't the first time she had seen one. When she was younger and raids by Bulblins were rare but not unheard of, a band of soldiers was sent to contain a straggling few that were seen crossing over to the Lanaryu province. They had returned in tow with a lone prisoner.

Bulblins by nature were ugly creatures, so it came as no shock that their unattractive character stretched to the physical. The one she had seen was stout and grimy, a mass of bruised flesh that was dragged down to the dungeons and never spoken of again. Zelda hadn't even heard word about its kind until years later, when it had been her on the throne ordering troops to contain the pockets of rabble that were starting to gather near the borders. By then the Twilight War started to brew a few years after.

So it was to her great and bitter surprise that Bulblins were far uglier than she remembered. This one had beady eyes that glowed in the dim sunlight, with dirty wrappings that obscured most of its face and head. He had seemingly manifested from air _(which, now that she thought of it, he had to have),_ and was now jogging towards them with shoulders hunched and a nasty looking club in its mitts.

Link's swing ended with nothing truly exciting. Her opportunity closed before it began, Zelda dipped into a flip when a hand clasped over her own-

_Link... Chosen hero! Lend us the last of your power..._

_"Agh!"_

Pain, pain, so much pain- the Master Sword was buried in her chest to the hilt. Link's face gave nothing away as he sliced upwards and tore through her body.

Now this, _this_ had to be what dying felt like. Zelda tried to gain some purchase on the stones below her but an ungodly stream of blood jetted out of her chest and she almost gagged, would've gagged if it weren't for the horn blare that stopped her.

It was a horn call, the kind that played before war.

Link froze and turned, her body left forgotten in wake of the bulbous monster that rode in on a boar. His two horns curved horribly into spears, his body was free from armor aside from the cuffs adorning his arms. The boar he rode on was as large as a horse, larger, and each clomp of its hoofs vibrated through stone as a path to her dying body.

Link rose his bow and shot arrows off like lightning, but they did nothing to stop the rider from advancing. The Bulblin- _'Is that what it is? It can't be'_ \- smirked with wicked glee, he was only feet away from their part of the bridge. What had to be a spur of the moment reflex, as Zelda couldn't see it as anything else, Link darted in front of where she lay directly in its path and planted his feet, clutching the Master Sword with both hands.

 _Tabdack, tabdack, tabdack._ The boar's feet were so close she could see the sliver of hairs on its legs. Link swung widely for its throat but the boar moved on with its rider. They phased through him.

Zelda's eyes were frozen open when the first cloven hoof passed through her them, which was a funny concept because she always thought she'd squeeze them shut if she were about to be trampled on. The next three passed through her shoulders and neck, and a trail of blue light sparked up its dark skin as they passed.

The smaller Bulblin followed shortly after with a barrel his size that landed with a soft, inconspicuous _thump_.

Link looked more shocked than she felt; though he hid it well she could see he found the whole experience rather off putting. He snapped out of the daze with a blink and turned towards her, stopping when he saw her blood had reached his shoes in a puddle. Her breath was faint, her eyes fought to stay open. Zelda felt cold.

He rose his arms for one last stab. And he was so close, so obviously in her range that Zelda had to wonder if it was intentional. Her hand was already moving when the barrel exploded.

Her fingers wrapped as tight as they could around Link's ankle and yanked. His body fell across hers just as the fire reached them and the bridge gave out, and though she only felt its heat she knew Link felt its bite. She didn't think much about the way he screamed as the fire on his back burned holes into his skin. She didn't think of the clawshot in his hand that stopped his fall and carried him away from the abyss she was swallowed into.

No.

She thought of the eyes that life left, that stared on as a dead man would see an endless sky. Link dangled from the edge of the ruined bridge with his clawshot. He watched her.

_The third fall finished in silence._

* * *

Zelda's body jerked to a stop.

For a moment she had thought she reached the end of the abyss and had finally died, but upon further inspection she came to the conclusion she was in the loading room. Her body was latched in a sort of closet- without shelves, but roughly the same size- and the wires that had apparently slowed her fall slipped out of her skin with a single, unassuming movement.

Which, in her mind, was slightly mortifying.

She flung herself in a mad dash from the pod but was stopped short by hand that gripped her bicep. Metal claws ripping, _tearing_ flashed to her mind and without thinking she jabbed hard at the limb before tearing off in the opposite direction. Her speed combined with her shaky balance made her lose any traction however, and she went sailing face first into the smooth floor. The tile was slick enough she slid a few feet feet until a wall mercifully stopped her journey.

The room was quiet for a moment. Then, "Wow. So that was something."

Fox stepped into view, looking little worse for wear besides the slight droop around his eyes. He helped her up by the shoulders and her world tilted off its axis. The face she got in return was mortified recognition, followed by, "Ah! Bucket. _Bucket, someone get-"_

She sidestepped him and dashed through an open door, wrenching down her mask only part way before her lunch made its new home on the floor. This time it was an actual closet, with actual brooms and other maintenance supplies.

Gloved hands scraped her hair back with a sigh as she dry heaved. Her braid had been reduced to nothing more than a tangle. "At least they won't have to go far to clean it up."

"...Fox?" She was almost too exhausted to be surprised, but nothing about Fox could be overshined so it was hardly a contest. "I'm... alive?"

Her shoulders shook, her knees quaked. The fingers that had started to comb through her hair stopped. "Yep." There was a tired smile in his voice. She rolled back on her heels and the strange gadgets on his belt dug into her back. "Clean cuts heal faster than just about anything, so you got lucky."

Now that her mind had calmed down and the ringing in her ears stopped, Zelda was aware of the crowd of Toads that was their audience. Snake and the R.O.B. were thankfully absent. Fox gave her arm an experimental tug and when she didn't argue he pulled her to the elevator, sidetracking through several different abandoned floors. Although he didn't say so, she knew he was waiting for the paparazzi to jump out at any corner.

When her legs began to shake and she was having a harder time focusing her eyes, Fox surprised her the second time that day by plucking her off the ground and draping her over his back. They were roughly the same size, but a portion of Zelda felt so small, so _young_ but _ancient_ , that she leaned into the warmth of his back. She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew Fox was turning the doorknob of her room.

"How..." She trailed off. Fox set her down on the newly furnished bed and sat across from her. Zelda hadn't been in her room since her comb went missing. Nothing about the place was familiar, but neither had the first version been.

"I picked up your key as soon as I got here." Fox grinned, placing her room key on the bedside table.

She didn't say anything, instead she took her time in examining the key from where it lay. She didn't know what she was looking for, but whatever it was wasn't there.

"...Are we friends?" Zelda's voice was hushed to the point of breaking, yet Fox heard her.

"Of course we are."

She wasn't sure what to believe any more. She wasn't sure what to _feel_ any more. Betrayal was at the forefront, sure, but rage was a close second. Hysteria threatened to swell up when memory of her day passed her mind but reigning it all in was a cold press of calm. Zelda looked up to see Fox frowning.

"Princess-"

"How did you find my comb?"

Fox blinked at her interruption before pasting on his trademark grin. "I've got my ways. Powerful connections. Friends are always nice to have."

"Is that why we are friends?"

She regretted saying it as soon as the words left her mouth. He may have had his own secrets and motives beyond her knowledge, but he was also about the only friend she had left in this realm. She couldn't lose him, too.

Fox's face tightened, "...I." He stopped himself.

"I-I'm so sorry, Fox, I didn't mean it...truly-" She made to get up but didn't know what she'd do, so Zelda sat back as Fox rolled his neck.

"It's okay, Princess." Fox waved her off. "You're tired. But," his mouth turned into a full grin that exposed white canines, "I _do_ have some good news." He frowned at her silence and added, "What, you don't got any more questions? You forgot to ask the _most important_ one."

Zelda breathed slowly. There was hope, withered in the grave and ready for the truth to crush it, but it was hope nonetheless. "Is Peach awake?"

"Awake and happy."

Relief warmed her heart and she let out a breath she hadn't known was held. "Oh _Fox,"_ she managed before her voice broke.

Fox grinned and said, "She's still recuperating but should be in a month or two. Whatever hit her, hit her hard."

He continued and straightened up, "By the by, Peach can't remember what exactly happened before she was stolen; no name, face or place. So we need you to tell us every..." He trailed off and sobered as she started to cry.

"Look," he said. "I...I think you should rest. I don't know what kind of day you've had but judging by what I've seen and what I see _now..."_ He pointedly looked at the flaked red that stubbornly clung her front, _"_ We'll talk more tomorrow. I've got some questions for you."

When she didn't answer he added, "First thing in the morning. If you want, that is. Afternoon or evening is just as game."

"I have some questions for you as well," she said after a moment.

Fox blinked. "Okay. That's great."

He stood and walked to the door, pausing as his hand closed around the doorknob. "I told you about him, Sheik. At least... Well. Now you know." He didn't look back when he left.

Zelda waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps in the hall before she stepped into the small bathroom adjoining her room. She peeled away her suit and left it in a pile on the floor, for once not caring about proper handling. The knob turned easily to the left _(without protest, without a squeak, without a word)_. A rush of heat poured over her. Red water went down the drain, then clear.

When the tips of her fingers were pruned and her hair was limp down her back, Zelda stepped out of the steam and wrapped herself in her night wear. The needles that escaped the wrappings on the floor made it almost impossible to walk through, but she managed to her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was dead asleep.

She didn't notice when _Pickled_ _Cream_ had found its place in her hand.


	20. Chapter 20

Zelda had three dreams that night.

The first was of nothing but darkness, her body swallowed up by an abyss. It was like falling but without the weightlessness of it, stale air and no end. But the worst part was the voice that pounded all around her.

_"Someone powerful is against you."_

_"Why is the rest of the Dome against you?"_

_"Who are you?"_

_"Who are you?"_

_"Who-"_

_"-are"_

_"-you?"_

She woke up choking on a throat dry as sand. Zelda gulped several handfuls of water from the bathroom sink before she managed to stagger back to her bed, tripping over the bits of needless and bandages that still littered the floor.

Her second dream was hardly that, just a blanket of irrational calm. Irrational because she hardly felt this was a time for calm, hardly believed there was ever a time to _be_ calm in this world. She knew she wasn't awake and yet she could remember every bit of stress that hung over her like musty curtains. But a pressure of reproval forced her rebelling thoughts away until all she could do was curl up under the peace, accepting it but hating it a little at the same time.

Then everything woke up for the third dream: she smelled brine on the wind, soft grass became her bed, hot light burned her closed lids. Zelda made the mistake of opening her eyes and was instantly blinded. She winced and squeezed them shut, willing the blotches to disappear before rolling over and trying again.

There- long grasses. Wildflowers mixed with weeds. She stood up gradually, expecting to collapse any second but surprising herself when her feet remained planted firmly beneath her. It was still too bright, _burning blinding white hot,_ but as long as she tilted her head to the ground the light was manageable. From what she saw, she was in a field that stretched for miles in all directions. The salt in the wind indicated an ocean nearby but she saw nothing of the sort, just... grass.

The thought that she should be more confused flitted across her mind, but the calm that invaded her kept that thought firmly locked away. Her legs moved.

Her room replaced the field. Zelda blinked, mind painfully jutted awake. _Pickled Cream_ was hot as a torch in her hand and she yelped, dropping it to the floor. Zelda sat up and crawled backwards till her spine pressed up against the wall. Her sheets were tangled around her legs and she kicked them off impatiently, leaning over the side of the mattress already imagining the damage done to her carpet.

"What..." Zelda muttered and leaned closer. Her hand slipped off the bed sheet and she tumbled forward with a surprised _"Oof!"_

From her view on the non-scorched carpet she could see it better: the inscription on her dagger was different. Where there was once a short, condensed scrawl was now a ribbon of swirls.

ಪ್ಪಿನမಕಾဉಯಿခ

That was... _different,_ to say the least. Zelda hovered her hand over the blade, checking for heat before she tapped it with a finger and quickly pulled away. She tapped her fingertip to her cheek to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. It was cold to the touch. Feeling a bit silly she grabbed the hilt and pulled it near her, lightly stroking each engraved line.

Her fingers brushed over carved metal, it was real. This wasn't a dream. Zelda laughed, a bit breathy and potentially mad sounding, but she was alone so what did it matter? _Pickled Cream_ might not be _Pickled Cream_ any longer.

Zelda grabbed a bit of parchment from her newly furnished desk and scrounged for a pen until she found a gaudy purple one. She made a face between disappointment and slight offence when _Smash Central's_ _#1 Fan_ flashed on the side once she pressed the tip to the paper, but all was forgotten when she stared at the new translation.

A thought, a _belief_ that was once forgotten rose to her mind. She smiled.

* * *

"Say _what_?"

Fox pinched the bridge of his nose. Zelda clasped her hands before her and patiently smiled. She had found him in the Drawing Room after invading the kitchens for a late breakfast. She had felt ravenous enough to devour a horse and still munched on a basket of food the cooks had given her, taking pity (on her or themselves) after she emptied an entire cupboard. Her face charmed and her hunger edging away, it was time to get to business.

Which is how Fox found himself on the end of the question: _"Tell me about_ Star Fox _."_

The best way to discern a man's heart was to inquire after his comrades. She had to know what his answer would be.

"A question for a question, you see," Zelda said between chews. "A fair trade."

Fox reached for a baked leg of - _something, she wasn't sure except it tasted_ _so good_ \- but his hand was swatted away like the pest it was. She said her hunger was edging away, not gone.

He glowered, "You didn't even phrase it like a question."

"Tell me about _Star Fox_?"

Fox narrowed his eyes but relented, sinking into the sagged couch he was already slumped in. "Alright."

"The team got its name from my dad, actually. James McCloud. I took up the position after he died." Fox paused, deliberating over his next words. "We made our team out of some real crackpots, you know? Slippy the genius but downright idiot, old man Peppy, Krystal."

"And Falco?"

His eyes shot to hers, scanning her face. "And Falco. The Cornerian Army offered us a place but we turned them down. Hire-on is more my thing. Good for it too, 'cause that's how I have the best stories to tell. Have I told you any?"

She shook her head and he grinned. "Then hold onto your tiara, Princess, 'cause this is a killer. It was just after..."

Fox went on to spin countless tales, each one more colorful than the last. Zelda learned about the frog-man Slippy who often needed a helping hand but could detect shields like no other, who invented machines from zany to downright insane yet they all managed to be useful. Peppy Hare, the former wing pilot to McCloud senior and Fox's own mentor, who despite his age and health threw all he had into his work. And the telepathic vixen Krystal, who made Fox's voice soften just by speaking her name, who was kind and patient but with a biting edge that could rear its head if the need arose. Who, Zelda suspected, Fox had a bit of history with.

Fox went on for at least an hour about these different characters and Zelda gradually forgot about the basket of food, taken up in the change of his demeanor as she was. She didn't see the droop in his impossibly wide grin until it was gone, and the finishing effect would have been unsettling if not for the happiness that hooked its edges below his eyes.

Fox was happy. He wasn't before.

"...and the fish tipped his hat to us and sailed away. I heard he's now captain of a pretty impressive fleet," Fox finished.

"Oh my," Zelda said. "I pity those who haven't heard the tale."

"Yep," Fox drawled and broke into a light chuckle that died off. "We were a good team."

Zelda perked up. "Were?"

The vulpine straightened, fidgeting in his seat. "Well, yeah. I wouldn't be here if _Star Fox_ was still around."

"But the announcer said-"

"-outdated information despite public record. I know." Fox waved a hand, appearing disinterested.

"But where is the team? Why aren't they here?"

"Disbanded. I don't know."

"But then why is-"

"Knock it off."

"-Falco here?"

At his name Fox shook his head, speaking over her in a growl. _"Drop it."_ Zelda drew back, surprise written across her face. She inhaled, ready to say _sorry_ or _what's wrong_ or _Fox_ but he beat her to it, finishing the conversation with a look. From the corner of her eye she could see a burst of color, blue and red and yellow enter the room, and she turned her head to see but was stopped when Fox grabbed her chin. He blinked, scrambling to his feet. "Let's go out."

His sudden movement made her flinch but he didn't comment. He ran a hand through the hair between his face. "Not _out-_ out, Prin'. You're too young and hairless, and frankly not my type at _all_ , honestly. Just no."

The look on her face must not have been pleasant for Fox cleared his throat. "Let's go _outside_. Out there in the big, grey city. Among the freaks, the poisons and devils and beauties and gross air and- and we'll gorge on meat till someone pukes. Then we'll go home- er, here." Fox pulled her to her feet and tugged her along, Zelda breathing steadily to distract herself from how much had changed.

Zelda wondered if Fox knew he forgot to ask her a question.

When they were huddled on the elevator Fox spoke into his wrist. "Mario, we're going to the city." Zelda cocked her head in question but Fox didn't address her. He rolled his eyes at the babble that she could pick up from his earpiece. "Yeah, isn't it? You're coming with." More babble, this time distinctly annoyed. Fox whistled, "Don't try to weasel out. It's gonna be fun, just like you said. Bring Luigi and Yoshi while you're at it. See you at the front." He tapped on his wrist, cutting off the stream of Mario's faint accent.

"Ike is not accompanying us?"

Fox's ear twitched and his mouth quirked up. "Nah. Poor guy is busy."

A _ding_ signaled their stop and Fox led the way out by grabbing her hand, gliding through the crowd despite the calls for his name. He pushed through a pair of thick-skinned crocodiles that were reading a brochure, but Zelda wasn't so lucky and was snagged on their elbows.

"Oi, what's the deal?" One of them turned and snapped his jaws, blanching as he did a double-take. "Sir Lady?"

The other turned and narrowed its eyes, snarling, "Eh? Booooo, that's what I think!" The first crocodile joined in and booed at her enthusiastically, never minding that they were in public and far from a stadium. Zelda was taken aback, not for their heckling but the way they did it. Was that what people did to each other? Boo?

 _'How strange,'_ Zelda thought, tilting her head in wonder. She couldn't bother to feel insulted by it.

Her standing there aggravated the two crocodiles and attracted the attention of the crowd around her. Others joined in, pointing their thumbs down and jabbing the air. "Boo!" they said. _"Boo! Boo!"_

An irate Fox appeared through the cracks then, and he pulled Zelda through the crowd till the yammering died down and they were ignored. He growled a stream of curses, taking turns between patting his fur down and sputtering at her. "What were-" _curse "-_ you're a class-A numbskull, you-" _pat, pat, curse._

He took in a deep, almost exaggerated breath and said, "You can't let a crowd blow up like that, alright? At least, not while you're in the _middle_ of it."

His fur stood on all ends, made worse by his efforts to fix it. Zelda smoothed the patch over his nose down. "I apologize for my carelessness," she said, voice soft and distant. "I was only curious." Fox appeared dazed for a moment, looking completely at a loss. It was so unlike him that she had to laugh till he grabbed her wrist.

"Are you alright?" Fox asked.

Zelda paused. She felt many things, but she wasn't sure if any of them were right. But she didn't feel wrong. She patted his hand, covering it with her own and felt the tension that rolled under his skin. "I'm not sure," she replied honestly and he nodded.

"I think it'd be best if you heard this from me," Fox said. His hand squeezed one of her own. "You've been put on a two week suspension from brawls. Can't bite customers, no matter how ugly they are."

Her body tensed at first but relaxed once his words sunk in. It could have been worse. "Is that all?" she asked, and he twitched one of his ears in return.

"Eh, for now. There's been talk about your place in the All-Star tournament, but nothing solid yet. I wouldn't worry about it. Things like this blow over fast." The _usually_ went unsaid.

Zelda watched the streams of people trickle by, each going about their own business. Some waved that day's tickets in the air, squealing in delight with their friends while others munched on foods and snacks. An elevator opened, releasing a group that carried paper bags overstuffed with toys and candies, flashing lights and _whirring_ sounds. A pink shroom child, not unlike a Toad but different, ran by carrying a stuffed Kirby.

Overhead blinked a wide screen that displayed a golden chart. _Smash Board_ it read, and below were listed names and times. "Is that... where the fights are listed?" Zelda asked.

Fox followed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, but for Star brawls only. Normal brawls aren't released to the public. Seems backwards, doesn't it?" He barked a laugh. "It's for profit. The crowd doesn't know who the fighters will be, so they buy the tickets on the off-chance it'll be good. If they don't know who it is, they can't _not_ buy it. People pay for anything if it promises them entertainment."

A smaller board to the side read _Assistant Trophies_ and displayed a chart of names and pictures. Fighters by the names of Lil Mac and Charizard were scheduled for a head-to-head brawl in the evening.

 _Solo Battles_ highlighted over the Ice Climbers against Pikachu, their icons glowing with their respective colors. Below was _Team Battles,_ and it was here Zelda hummed thoughtfully. She didn't know there were team battles in the tournament. Meta-Knight was scheduled with Marth against Samus and Captain Falcon for tomorrow's fight. _"It looks to be a ringer,"_ read the scrolling text below.

"Does the rest of the Dome hate me?" she asked, studying the lightning bolt that was Aran's insignia.

Beside her Fox twitched an ear. "What are you yammering about?" She didn't bother replying, instead going for a light pinch on his arm. He swatted her hand away with a scowl, though confusion laced its edges. "Look, things aren't pretty right now. Some people don't like you. That happens."

"But it's more than some, isn't it? Fox?" She turned to face him when he didn't answer. "Why?"

"You're just full of questions today, aren't you?" he muttered, his jaw cracking under the pressure. "People... are just being nervous is all. Things have started to change around here since you arrived. Nothing big, just, you know," he waved a hand, "different."

He stared over her shoulder, eyes flitting back to hers after a few moments. "You know I wouldn't let them hurt you, right? Samus and Falcon." He studied her face for any reaction but she gave none. "They're not going near our group. We've all cut off contact with them. They know they're in the red."

She cocked a brow and he grinned, elaborating, "The Mario bros., Yoshi, Peach, Ike... We."

At his words some of the haze that had been covering her lifted and she breathed, feeling the world clear up around her. She gave him a soft smile that she could only hope reached her eyes and he returned one of his own, though the effect was diminished by the tongue that swiped his cheek.

" _Agh_ \- Blech, _Yoshi!"_ Fox swatted the dinosaur away. Mario stepped out from behind the oblivious Yoshi and grinned, looking a little too cheeky for Zelda's taste. Luigi followed in what she could only assume was meant to be nonchalant, but he tripped over his shoes and smacked face-first onto the shined floor. If it weren't for his bulbous nose that cushioned the fall she was certain he would've broken something.

Fox sent one last dirty look at Yoshi and laughed, shaking hands with Mario and patting Luigi on the back, ignoring the _"Oof!"_ that croaked out. "Nice to see you guys," Fox said. He started walking towards the entrance and they followed, Mario taking his side. Zelda had no choice when she was pulled to Fox's other side, bracketed in by Luigi's fumbling steps. She thought of pulling away if only to spite him- _she wasn't going to create a mob again, lesson learned_ \- but he must have read her mind for while he didn't look, he squeezed her wrist in a warning.

"Yeah, it is." Mario said when they exited the Dome.

The air held a warm haze to it. It wasn't like summer, though, and it wasn't because it was hot. It was like a fire in the city, a buzzing energy that zapped hearts to the point of bursting. The kind of air mad men drank.

"I have to say, though. You pulled me out at a really poor time."

"Oh?" Fox inquired with a smirk.

Mario puffed up. "' _Oh?'_ Yes! I was this close," he pinched the air, "from defeating Lu in the championship. _This close!_ "

Fox rolled his eyes exasperatedly but waited for a crowd of ragged civilians to cross their path before answering. "You guys still playing that game of yours? _Mario Kart?"_

Behind them Yoshi squealed and lunged for a poor street vendor's food cart, a yelp escaping the man who would've fallen victim if it weren't for Mario tugging Yoshi back. "It's _Bros. Kart,"_ he huffed out between holding back the fighting dinosaur, "and it's a fun way to- _knock it off, Yoshi!"_

Yoshi slurped back his tongue that he been stretching out in an attempt to swallow the vendor, and it was such a ridiculous scene that a burst of laughter escaped her mouth.

She was bonked over the head when Fox barked, "Don't encourage him!" He grinned and wrinkled his nose, "C'mon, _Sheik._ It's weird- _Gah!"_ He wasn't fast enough to escape the tongue that lodged itself in his ear, though he did a mix between a squirm and a jig that ended with Luigi in the gutter and Mario on top of Yoshi. Zelda had to admire his efforts.

After some creative adjectives used by Fox and a few colorful phrases by Mario, it was Luigi in the end who sat on the back of Yoshi, legs tight around the poor dinosaur's body. Zelda reckoned the saddle was barely needed, Luigi was doing a fine enough job of anchoring himself.

"As I was saying," Fox began, but Luigi cut him off.

"Heh, uh. You weren't saying. Mario was saying, and that woman next to those boxes was saying something too, and maybe Sheik was saying something behind her mask and we didn't see it, but you weren't wearing a mask so I saw you. And your mouth wasn't moving, so you weren't saying anything at all, really. At the time. Heh."

Fox fumbled in his steps and gave an incredulous look to Luigi, then to the hag in the alley that was hissing at a stack of boxes. He shrugged and tightened his grip on Zelda's arm when the hag gave them a nasty look. "Okay," he replied lightly, strolling on. The group followed and Fox asked Mario, "You were saying?"

Mario shook his head, "I finished saying."

"Well then," Fox jerked his head, "as I was about to _start_ saying, if any of you guys see a cart selling meat- _any_ kind, let's be real, I'd eat it- let me know. 'Cause the goods are calling my name, and _man_ are they singing."

Zelda was about to inform him that meat didn't sing and he should have his head examined when Luigi cleared his throat. "S-So, Fox. Why're you here?"

"I just said, if any of you guys see some meat, let me know. I'm hungry. For meat."

"No, uh. Why are you back in the city so soon? Isn't Peach still in the mends?"

This time Fox stopped completely, causing Zelda to tug him forward and almost trip over herself. She jerked her head around with a scowl plastered on her face that melted when she got a good look at Fox. He had his fangs bared in a grimace and his other hand occupied the holster at his side, thumb lightly skimming over the metal top. His eyes shot over to her and she rose a brow in question, but he shrugged after a moment and moved along, bringing the group with.

"Well, Green Guy, for _her."_ Fox jerked a thumb in Zelda's direction. "When I heard our resident ninja was fighting I hopped ship and took the next Arwing over."

She could tell he was trying to be nonchalant about it, but the mention of her brawl put a ball of lead in her stomach. Mario tried to hide his grimace behind his mustache but the corners of his teeth stuck out like pearls on black velvet. Luigi's eyes went wide and he fumbled for a response. She hadn't felt this awkward in a long time and the idea of hiding in the alley boxes was looking more appetizing by the second. It didn't help when Yoshi swiped his tongue across one of his eyes.

"What's that?" Zelda pointed at the building across the street. It may have been a transparent attempt to change the topic, but once she said it curiosity bubbled up. It was one of the few buildings she had seen in Smash Central that wasn't towering along with the others but instead sculpted out of white stone, matching marble pillars sidling its walls. The carvings on the front showed a true artisan's work.

Fox's grin showed he knew what she was doing but he jumped on the topic anyways. "That's the Smash Central museum. Neat, huh?"

"Museum?" she drank in the information. "Could we...?" Zelda had always enjoyed history.

Fox rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Should've figured you the type. I'm not going to get my meat today, am I?"

Nevertheless he lead them through the traffic of the city and up the grand steps, pausing underneath the overhang. Above, stone sculptures of monstrous figures loomed over them. Zelda was staring into the eyes of one when Fox muttered, "Dang it."

He dug into his pockets for a bit until Mario pulled a card out of his overalls. "I got mine," he said, then waved it with a tiny flourish and pushed open the door. They walked into an impressive expanse of a room, small by the main entrance of the Dome, but larger than her throne room. The walls were tastefully arranged with portraits of monsters and humans, red penguins and green horses. Several hallways lead off like veins from a heart.

Their shoes clacked against the smooth floor as Mario lead them to a dark wooded desk. A woman sat behind, looking relatively normal besides the light tint of pink to her skin. She straightened at their approach and scanned the card Mario presented with her hand, and whatever she found was good enough to wave them through.

Of course, not without giving Zelda a less than friendly look as she passed. Now that Zelda was looking, several other museum perusers frowned once they had a good look at her. One pair hissed to each other behind closed hands, but Fox made a show of leading her away with his arm looped through hers. Mario and the others went on to one of the adjoining halls.

"There was a fair amount of bets riding on Meta knight," Fox explained after they were out of earshot. Zelda nodded in thought, though she felt there was more to the story. Why had her presence affected Smash Central so much? And it wasn't even a recent problem. From the first day she arrived, the inner workings of the Dome began to change.

Master Hand had called her out by name.

She remembered the response to that. Fox's fear and Snake's watchful eyes. Peach's smile and Link-

Zelda shut off that train of thought. That night must have been when Snake's distrust of her began. ' _Do the people truly believe I'm working for the Hand?'_ she thought. But if that were the case, why would people outside of the Dome hate her as well?

"You look like you're about to explode." Fox folded his arms and stared her down but Zelda grabbed his wrist.

"Would you mind taking me to the history section?"

"Not at all," Fox said. He didn't move. "You're in it, Princess."

"Hmm?" She looked around the room and noticed for the first time where Fox had lead her. They were in a cavern of a room, the walls puckered in and the ceiling so low each grain could be seen in the stone. But it was what was painted on the stone that caught her eye.

A lone star, accentuated with bright blues and singing purples, hung atop a sea of red. The picture itself was plain, but the amount of detail put into it went far beyond even the most talented of artists. Each ruby wave had its own curve and shadow, some with pockets of spray that glittered like small jewels. The star was a mass of swirls like the finest lace.

"This is incredible," she breathed. Beside her Fox chuckled.

"Isn't it? When I first came here I thought someone had imprinted it, but no. This right here is supposed to be the oldest piece of history in the realm." That would explain the structure of the room then. The museum must have been built around the cavern.

Her neck began to strain. "What is it of?"

"Supposed to be the creation of Smash Central. It's an old belief, really. A dead religion."

"I see," Zelda muttered. The paintings had to have been done a while back for none to practice it. She felt tempted to trace one of the swirls of the star but thought better of it. How long had this cavern been around? "Oh, Fox-" She looked over her shoulder but paused when she saw he was gone. A frown tugged at her face- _vanishing without a word was rude, after all_ \- but she let it wash away after a few steps. She wasn't some child to be dragged around.

' _It is well that Fox isn't here_ _,'_ she told herself as she paced further into the cavern. _'I have the entire room to myself.'_ Well, that wasn't wholly true. A squat pair of red penguins waddled through with a band of geese trailing behind, but she wasn't overly fond of specifics unless they mattered, and in this case they didn't.

Zelda wasn't sure how much time had passed, more than a few hours at least, but to her it seemed like only minutes. There was more to the cavern than what first met the eye. Up close, the walls held a light shimmer that glowed deeper within the pockets inlaid in the stone. Her steps didn't echo in the room, they _sung._ It made wandering the cavern a far more enjoyable experience than it would've been if it weren't for the otherworldly beauty.

She passed by a display corner laden with fossils and ancient armor. A massive and monstrous skull was hung up on a stand, and below it hung the rest of its body: bits of bone inlaid with metal, twisting down in a frozen writhe. Beside it laid a tarnished and concave golden helmet, the lining done on its rim giving the impression someone had put plenty of time into creating it. Now it was nothing but a relic of the past.

Across from the helmet hung a cracked stone horn. The inside of the bell was sealed further in, closing any possibility of it being used for music. Curious. Just what type of civilization lived here in the past? Luigi said the locals looked similar to the other realms, but nowhere had Zelda seen anything like this.

A faint shimmer in the air caught her eye; a barrier. Of magic or technology she wasn't sure, but what made the knot in her stomach tighten was that she didn't notice it till now. Her mind had been slightly off since yesterday- _'Longer than that, fool,'_ the old crone in her muttered- but a part of her had believed she would still sense magic if it was nearby. The way her days were turning out, she hardly had any control over her magic anymore. The thought froze her veins.

Zelda longed to tear off her glove and stare at the mark that had stained her hand since birth. She wanted to engulf the whole room, the whole _building_ in its golden light but knew the idea was a poor one. Even if it did work, the last thing she wanted to do was reveal her identity to all of Smash Central.

She wouldn't say she was afraid to try. _(Because she didn't have to. No other Wisdom bearer had recorded something like this ever happening. And while history told her all she knew thus far, it couldn't tell her this)._

_((She was eclipsed in fear))._

_'Inane crone,'_ she thought bitterly, stomping albeit gracefully around the corner. _'Bothered over a barrier. You said it yourself, it could be technology. Not everything is magic.'_ She stopped short of running into another exhibit and almost fell over for her troubles. She straightened and patted down her clothes, glancing around the room to see if any had witnessed her blunder. The coast was clear. She nodded shortly to herself, satisfied, and turned past the marble slab on the floor.

She doubled back.

Her jaw dropped in a most unladylike fashion.

There, before her dusted feet and atop the soiled floor was an equally battered block of chipped stone. It was roughly the size of a palm vase, a large bowl used in gardens to sprout Zora petals, so her arm span was enough to cover its width. It was supported by three beams, for without them the slab would be toppled on its side. The bottom was pointed and its edges jagged, like someone had ripped the stone from the earth. Only the top was smooth and paneled with sharply carved tile. Though it had to be ancient, the marble top still held its sheen. And lining the edges, broken off in some places and torn completely from others, was the old script of Hylian.

It was hardly more than the length of her hand, just a few characters smudged together, but there was no mistaking it. Yet she still couldn't read them. There was no explanation, no reason for anything Hylian to be in _a completely different realm_ , but there it was before her eyes. Zelda felt like tearing her hair out but went for a scrap of parchment in her pouch instead. She sketched the best she could of the text, having to stop twice to still the shake in her hands.

At some point in history did a Hylian visit Smash Central? There was no telling how long ago it would have been if that were the case, one or two or even a couple thousand of years ago. Could they have stayed in this realm then, carving this? And it was only a sample, she figured, looking at the jagged edge. _'There could be more...'_

"What 'cha doing?" Mario peered over her shoulder. Zelda glanced over her shoulder and back to the parchment in her hand. Despite her best attempts it still looked like a tangle of Cuckoo scratch.

"I found this artifact rather interesting. Could you tell me anything about it?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral. Mario stepped closer to the stone and crouched.

"Y'know, I don't really know." He leaned further in to the point where his nose scrunched up to the invisible barrier. A light shimmer pressed in the air where his nose was stopped. "I'm not really the history buff around here. I can tell you it's a great piece of flooring," he said, grinning apologetically.

"Ah, I see," she muttered. Although it was a bit disappointing, Zelda would have been surprised if he knew more. It wasn't his realm either.

Mario straightened back up and brushed the dust from his pants. "What's got you interested about it?"

She didn't see the harm in telling him. "That there," she pointed, "is the ancient script of my language."

Mario's eyebrows lifted. "Honestly?" She nodded and he whistled lightly, looking back at the stone. "I can see why you're interested. What does it say?"

Zelda shrugged helplessly in return. "I... do not know. The language is dead, it was never in my studies." Mario winced and she nodded. At least she wasn't the only one regretting her poor luck.

But then his eyes lit up with a glimmer she was becoming to associate with him, and his rosy cheeks moved up half his face in the boyish grin that followed. "That's a real shame, Sheik. But I found something I thought you'd might like." She wanted to explore the cavern a little more but decided to humor him. She would come back later, alone.

He lead her away from the cavern and into an open room. The walls and floor were a clean blue and the ceiling was much higher than the previous one, which made Zelda breathe easier. She didn't notice how claustrophobic it was till she left. Luigi and Yoshi stood next to a podium of sorts, the younger brother fiddling with the knobs on a control board that sat atop. He looked up at their approach and spoke, but what came out of his mouth was unlike anything she had ever heard before.

Mario watched for her reaction and chuckled in return. "Strange, huh? You're usually informed by the station managers when transporting to another dimension, but something tells me you didn't exactly go conventional." She shook her head and remained silent, at a loss for words at the moment.

Mario continued, "There's a mass translator in Smash Central. It makes communication tons more easy for all the different cultures cooped up in here. While you can buy pocket scramblers to shorten the translator for yourself- if you need secrecy or something- none really bother. It's a fun tourist gift, though, to hear just how different everyone is around you."

Zelda remembered Melo mentioning something about a translator on the side, but at the moment she had been too preoccupied with the reality of a separate realm from Twilight and Spirit. She had to admit, it had been a bit strange hearing Hylian from other's mouths but like everything else in this realm she adapted and moved on.

Luigi pressed the button again and spoke. It was a melodic, dancing language that matched the two brothers in every way. It captured their easy nature, something that made Zelda smile slightly upon thought.

Mario pushed her forward. "Here, you give a try. I want to hear what you guys speak in Hyrule."

She stepped behind the podium and after Luigi pointed out the button to use she spoke evenly, "Did it work?" Their faces went into a variety of states ranging from scrunched noses to wide eyes, but they ushered her on once she stopped. Their protests sounded like gibberish to her but she chalked it up to the powers of the translator podium. She acquiesced and spouted bits of words she could think of, reciting old nursery rhymes so they could hear the natural flow of Hylian.

It was relaxing, doing nothing of extreme importance and forgetting about the world around her, instead concentrating on embellishing pronunciations and enjoying the look of wonder on the small group's faces. She was more than disappointed when a familiar set of pale eyes peered around the corner.

Snake had more disguises than she thought.

Zelda stopped abruptly in the middle of _Golden Hair and the Three Goats_ , much to the voiced displeasure of the brothers. "I, oh-" She bit out, then remembered none could hear her. The control board was leagues out of her element, but thankfully Mario understood and turned it off for her.

"What's the matter? You look pale as a Boo." Mario's face was drawn with concern.

"No, I-" Snake was gone, but she knew she hadn't imagined him. "I would like to leave."

Mario blinked but replied apologetically, "We can't go without Fox." He drummed his fingers against the leg of his overalls and said, "But Yoshi can help you track him down. Right?" He turned towards the dinosaur and Yoshi jumped with enthusiasm, nodding his head happily.

Zelda would rather crawl on her knees back to the Dome than spend one-on-one time with Yoshi- _those bugged, soulless eyes knew no bounds_ \- but she would rather do that than be stuck in an elevator with Snake. She nodded and began to walk slowly so that Yoshi could catch up.

What she wasn't ready for was the solid ram to her back that sent her flipping into the air, landing with a _thud_ upon a hard saddle. She bit back a shriek and settled for digging her nails into her thighs. Crocodiles and alligators and even snakes were fine with her. Spider and centipedes could rain from the sky and she would buy an umbrella to carry on with her day.

But something about Yoshi's bulbous head, the way he blinked at separate times and often _not at all_ unsettled her. He was... creepy. But she didn't think he had a bad heart, so Zelda would maintain a mannered disposition if only for the moment. He trotted off to a separate hallway, making the ride a little bumpy for her tastes. But he stopped almost as soon as he started and took a sharp turn to the right, almost causing her to slip off the saddle.

The new room was dark, the ceiling and floor meshing together in a dizzying illusion. She was thankful she was sitting, else she might have fallen over. Yoshi fell into a smoother, calmer pace once he entered the doorway. _'Fox must be in here...'_ Zelda thought, squinting her eyes to make out any shape against the darkness. It wasn't completely pitch black, but that was the problem.

Plants, kitchen utensils, harps and every other sort of odd knickknack glowed like beacons. There was no pattern to the color or placement, only the same blinding effect that kept her eyes from adjusting to the darkness. She was about ready to try lighting a few sparks when her ears picked up a conversation.

"...you sure?" It was Fox's voice, hushed to the point of a low grumble. Hylian ears were the best of hearing out of all the species in Hyrule, even more so than the neighboring countries. While it wasn't what kept them the most powerful kingdom on the continent the extra hearing certainly helped. From the way he sounded they had to go further in. Zelda nudged Yoshi to the side once he paused in his tracks and he crept closer without a sound, something of which she was thankful for as she leaned forward, straining her ears to hear.

"Utterly. The bugs checked out. Mayor Vase is telling the truth." It took a moment to recognize Ike. Though what he would be doing at the museum- in the dark with Fox, no less- Zelda hadn't an idea.

"Evacuating the entire southern district for _bugs?_ Do they bite?"

Zelda knew then that this was not meant for her ears. She urged Yoshi forwards.

"...They look disgusting."

"I don't care if they're _icky_ , I need to know if they're dangerous."

Fox's voice was clipped, and a second later the muffled sound of shoes against carpet could be heard. He was pacing.

There was silence for a moment. "I don't think the bugs are at the top of our worries. Falco's been covering all his tracks, Master Hand is on the move and Peach is still-"

 _"I know!"_ Fox barked, the force behind the words shattering the rest of Ike's sentence. Zelda drew back in alarm, mind whirring in calculation. _'Peach is still what? What's going on?'_

Yoshi had jumped at the outburst and his shoe rubbed against the other, squeaking horribly loud in the silence that followed. There was a rustle of clothes and she didn't think, just dipped to the side and hung off the saddle, sheltered behind Yoshi's body. If she was any slower she would've been caught by the light Fox held out.

"Yoshi? What're you doing here?" Fox asked, and she heard him step forward. The dinosaur chirped in response and she froze, holding her breath. Pounding flooded her ears but she remained still. She couldn't be seen, there was simply no way around it.

Her world was shifted when Yoshi bounced in the air and took off in a mad dash, and it was all she could to hold on until Yoshi broke out into the open hallway. Once they were clear he stopped in his tracks, the momentum almost catapulting her forward. Zelda pulled herself up in a panic and kicked at his sides in a desperate attempt to stir him into a run. They were being chased, Fox was going to see her any minute now and-

She remembered that it was Yoshi. The dinosaur probably pulled stunts like that all the time. She deflated in the saddle at the thought, all of the air running out of her body. Yoshi waddled down the hall and back into the blue room with Zelda hunched over, trying and failing to school her features. She finally settled for _tired,_ because she felt it and was certain no one would question her about it.

Fox had lied.

Zelda slid off the saddle and padded over to a spot on the ground, crossing her legs with a hand on each knee. Fox had lied, but why? What was the point in saying that Peach was awake? She closed her eyes and played back the conversation. _'By the by, Peach can't remember what exactly happened before she was stolen; no name, face or place. So we need you to tell us every...'_

Everything. Fox knew she hadn't told him everything about that night. Her fingers twitched and she began to drum them uneasily against her leg. But now she knew that there was something Fox wasn't telling her as well. A _lot_ he wasn't telling her. They were at stalemates.

Fox came trailing in a moment later, Ike mysteriously absent from his side. "Alright, I'm ready to eat. What do you guys say?"

She examined his face from where she sat. He looked no different than usual, but now she knew what to look for. There was a glint in his eyes she used to believe was mischief. The orange fur that stood up in tufts around his face used to be soft, warm. His nose didn't used to be so pointed.

Mario walked up with Luigi and replied, "Yeah, Sheik was just wanting to go as well." Fox shot her a curious look but she rolled to her feet and pasted on a smile in return.

If this was a game to him there was no point in showing her hand.

They left the museum with little mishap, Fox once again flanking her side with a grip on her arm like before. They stopped by a cart selling assorted meats that hummed a low note when bitten a certain way. She didn't buy any, however. She lost her appetite.

In a crowded city there was a Queen and her men.

She stayed close as the men gnawed on their meat, chewing biting _savouring_ the warm juices that dribbled down their chins. A low hum rang in dissonance with another, off just a bit but a bit just enough. The sun bled its light upon them and Zelda felt it on her scalp, heating past her cap and cowl down to the bone that encased her gooey insides, just as warm and juicy as the meat that Luigi slurped from his hands.

A rush of wind threaded through her eyelashes and she had to squint when a car passed by. _Hummm, hummm._ A fight broke out across the street over something needlessly stupid and mundane. She stayed by the men.

There were no words spoken, none but the ones Zelda fed herself. A certain snake once told her, _'Someone_ _powerful is against you.'_

The Queen looked at the fox.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm rewriting Genesis. What follows is what I had written out before I decided to take the leap.
> 
> From the very beginning, I'm going back and tearing this version to shreds. This is where I will keep the old version. My vision for Genesis has always been a story I'd be proud to look back on years later, and what's on this site is not something I'd be proud of. Snippets of it, sure. The general idea, of course. But all of combined? Not at all.
> 
> The newer version sits on my desktop. It's the same story, but Zelda's character has definitely been modified the most. I've changed the tense to present. Certain events will still occur one after the other, but there will be more exposition in the beginning and a better chance for you, the reader, to immerse yourself in Smash Central.
> 
> I don't know how long it will take me till I'm confident in uploading the first few chapters. I will (most probably) update one more chapter to this version to alert any who's following me once I post the new version. 
> 
> I'm immensely excited about how the rewrite is turning out now, and I hope that when it's ready for you to enjoy, you'll share my enthusiasm.

It was funny.

Life had a way of twisting you around its little finger, not promising you _everything_ but maybe a hint of something better. It couldn't be too fantastic of a promise after all, else none would buy into it.

It really wasn't that fantastic of a promise in hindsight. But she should have known once things were starting to look up in her life.

So it wasn't all that surprising, she told herself over the week. No matter how friendly some were in the realm of Smash Central, they were all virtually strangers. She was so caught up in the fantasy that she didn't stop to think why, _why_ there were so many willing to be her friend.

But she would do fine. Three weeks weren't enough to suppress years of loneliness.

Zelda played her part perfectly.

The last thing she was going to do was let Fox know she was onto him. There was no point, honestly, and with her position as Fox's "friend" she had a chance in figuring out what was going on in the undercurrents of the Dome.

It was hard to imagine Mario or his brother and Yoshi to be deceiving her as well, but she was fooled once and hardly wished to be made a fool again. If she were to be optimistic, at least she had a reason to stay close to that mess of friends as well.

So Zelda stayed at Fox's side, and if anyone noticed that she was clinging to him more than what was decent, none had mentioned it. She would go as far to say that he seemed pleased by her change in demeanor. She could only imagine whatever that meant.

_(So Zelda stayed at his side and pretended the aching bite of betrayal didn't exist, had no place in her heart, because if this was a game to the rest of them she was going to come out as queen)._

The first few days went by relatively fast, painfully so, to where Zelda was uncomfortably aware of how much time she was spending in Fox's presence and not elsewhere searching for the truth. As long as she held out her patience the truth was bound to come to her, but she was so worn down at the seams that what little patience she had was reserved for herself and her own mistakes.

By the end of that week, however, Zelda was growing steadily more agitated. There were still no answers to what she thought were the most befuddling and inexplicable phenomena she had had the misfortune of encountering: Wisdom's fading, the Tree and the dagger.

Whatever had been tormenting her sleep with increasingly frustrating visions had decided to stop, most likely in some sick game by the heavens that Zelda refused to acknowledge, and there wasn't enough pride in the world that would keep her from saying she was hesitant to go to the Tree without feeling called.

Besides, something told her it would be impossible to reach that part of the forest without permission. Call it some fragment of Wisdom or her own intuition, but she wasn't about to go against it.

She had her own theory for the dagger written up in her mind. But there were other things that dominated her mind at the moment.

She sunk into one of the overstuffed couches of the Drawing Room. Her muscles were coiled beneath her skin but she forced them to smooth out as Fox reclined beside her, chuckling at something Mario spouted. She feigned a yawn and tilted her chin up, exposing her throat.

Fox could probably tear it out with those jaws of his.

She rolled her head back further and smiled against the wiry fear that spun in her blood. Courage be forgotten, if she wasn't born with it she certainly would pretend.

"How about it, Princess?"

She hadn't been listening but from the tone of his voice and the direction the conversation had been taking, Zelda had a nice grasp on what was happening.

"Of course," she agreed. Fox grinned as Mario's face reddened. Luigi chortled along and Zelda felt some of the knot in her chest loosen. She was glad to see the nervous man settle in his skin, even if she wasn't sure if it were an act.

"As much fun as this has been," Mario grumbled as his face returned to a normal shade. "It's getting late, and I've got a brawl next morning."

"Ah, already?" Fox asked, though by the sharp grin on display she figured he was surprised it took Mario so long to give in. "Well, we'll be there. I'd wear some overalls for support, but, you know. Branding." He winked.

Mario sent him a half-hearted glare and left, Luigi folding not long after. He bid them goodnight with hardly a stutter, loosening the knot in her chest further. Yoshi had thankfully wandered off at some point between the trip to the bathroom and second Arcade round, so then it was only her and Fox.

The knot tightened with a vengeance.

Despite practically molding herself to his side the past week, it was moments like this that she felt torn up and spat out. It was the familiarity in the new. Everything was different, yet she was the only one that could see it.

"I gotta say, without the guys keeping me puttering, I think I'll drop soon enough. Turn in?" He quirked a furry brow and she nodded, accepting the hand he held out. They left the room and entered the elevator, Fox leaning against the wall at her side.

It was quiet, and Zelda was about to settle in peace when Fox spoke.

"You know, it's been a good week."

He kicked one leg over the other, still leaning against the wall. "Luigi's chilling out, Mario has been shedding some of that stress he's always holding onto. Yoshi's…" He shrugged, "What do I know? He's always the same."

The words died off with a light chuckle that closed behind smiling lips. "And you're happy, right?" he asked.

Blue eyes met her own red.

"Around friends? Always." She smiled.

The expression Fox gave her would haunt her for weeks. It was a soft, _honest_ look that she had only received from a select few in her life, and even then she could count the instances on one hand.

For however much she loved her father and he loved her, he was simply too busy to give her the attention a child needed. It was far and few that he gave her a look like that. Impa was always more focused on discipline and teaching, and it was only after the war that she had begun to allow a warmer side take hold of her.

Seeing this look from Fox? It wasn't fair.

When the elevator opened she practically dashed away, insisting that she could make it to her room unaccompanied. It was a relief when she saw her door.

She entered the room and gave a cursory check through the bathroom and closet, peeking under the bed for good measure. Zelda doubted she could find any "bugs" or hearing devices, but there was no harm in checking.

It was only when she stood did she feel a pair of eyes on her.

"Melo?"

"Your- uh, Sheik." Melo stepped from the shadows and nodded in trade for a bow. "I was dropping off a new stack of papers." He waved a thick file for emphasis.

They both knew she should have called for him the moment she stepped into the room. He was just too courteous to say.

Zelda perched herself on the corner of her bed, watching him. It had been a few weeks since she had seen him last. He looked tired, the red of his eyes more pronounced around bloodshot veins. There was a line or two across his face where there hadn't been on before. She felt a twinge of guilt at that.

But it wasn't as if she looked any better. The only difference between herself and him were the charms at her disposal, though those had the chance of fading at some point in the near future.

 _'No sense in thinking on it now,'_ she thought. Instead she asked, "On whom?"

"On whom? _Oh."_ He shifted his gaze from where he had been studying her in return. Melo took the unspoken offer and sat beside her, placing the folder between them.

"I collected what I could on Snake. He's from a world not unlike Mario's in terms of technology. The creatures, though, are vastly different."

She leaned in, not bothering to mask her interest. Zelda had been waiting for more information on the man for weeks.

"The main skirmishes in his world are between other humans. 'Mankind' is what they're called, though they're more or less the same as us. Their hearing is worse, though, and their peak life-span is considerably shorter than our healthier elders'."

Zelda nodded slowly, scanning over the file.


	22. A/N

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rewrite has been posted on fanfiction . net, and I will post the newest version on this site under the name "Genesis." Please check it out! For a quick peek, here's a section of the first chapter.

Like any legend, it begins with an omen.

 _Or perhaps it's the other way around,_ Zelda muses, lightly tracing the back of her left hand. She sits curled on her windowsill, feet bare. It's morning, the only time she forgoes her gloves long enough to appreciate the feel of air between her fingers. Only this morning, the air lies stagnant across her skin.

The first time the wind died, it was with her father. The atmosphere itself seemed to hold its breath the morning his body was discovered in bed. _Passed in his sleep,_ the crown doctors said. _Natural causes._

But the wind only returned once the day of his funeral arrived. With no mother or father to guide her twelve-year-old self into the role of sole monarch, her private guard, Impa, took on the task. Training, tutoring; she was brought up in the way of the Sheikah.

The sun watches from the horizon. There's a phrase tossed around in the south providence of Hyrule, one traders passing through her court like to repeat in poor seasons.

_An eastern breeze brings nothing good to the west._

Zelda knows this is false in the same way she knows her own skin. It's better to have a poor breeze than none at all. After all, the last time there was no breeze, her kingdom was invaded. Put under lock and key, she only felt the wind again with mud lining the hem of her dress, golden arrows pinched between her fingers. A lifetime of preparation, and she was still caught off guard.

But this brings her back from her ponderings, and into the present.

She sits curled on her windowsill, feet bare and resting against the cool stones chilled by morning. Knees tucked in, arms crossed, and there isn't a breeze.

And as her father always said, ' _Never ignore the omen that strikes twice, for the third may be your last.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more, check out Genesis...


End file.
